Results 9,601-9,620 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Other Questions: Skills Shortages (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: We are working on a significant overhaul of the work permit system. We will make it much more accessible and much easier to deal with. We will broaden the ranges of skills, particularly where ICT staff at present are only regarded as an automatic category if they are working in the ICT sector. We recognise that approximately 75% of them work outside the ICT sector. Therefore, there will...

Other Questions: Skills Shortages (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: What is exciting about what the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, are doing is that they are providing not only the courses, but the connections to employers. For instance, the Momentum initiative is a really good initiative. That provides 6,500 places for persons who will have a placement in an education setting but also a matching placement period in a...

Other Questions: Exports Growth (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: The USA is Ireland’s biggest trading partner and our largest merchandise export market. In 2011, the total exports of goods and services from Ireland to the USA amounted to €27.4 billion. Goods and services imported to Ireland from the USA in the same year amounted to €30.8 billion. The USA is the second largest export market for Irish-owned companies. There are...

Other Questions: Exports Growth (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: The drop in value is largely due to a certain number of patented products coming off protection, which has led to a significant reduction in the value of certain pharmaceutical products. Having said that, we have sustained employment in the pharmaceutical sector, so IDA Ireland has been successful in repositioning our overall portfolio within the pharmaceutical sector to maintain and...

Other Questions: Local Enterprise Offices (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 27 together. The prepared reply is very similar to the one earlier delivered by the Minister of State, Deputy Perry. Let me paraphrase it rather than reading it again.

Other Questions: Local Enterprise Offices (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: We are absolutely committed to the provision of a much better environment for small business and we believe that by integrating the capacity of the local authority with the enterprise boards, we can develop a quality service. As the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, pointed out, one element of that is a first-stop shop. There will be a place for people to go where they can get easy access to...

Other Questions: Local Enterprise Offices (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: I accept we have to sell this. We must ensure there is an enterprise culture in these local enterprise offices - that is absolutely clear. Part of the fear is that there will not be an enterprise culture. In the Deputy's earlier supplementary questions to the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, he asked if this would be politicised. These decisions will not be politicised. The decision...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Cross-Border Enterprise Initiatives (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: My Department has shared responsibility for the one cross border body with responsibility for enterprise development, InterTradeIreland which is one of the six North/South Implementation Bodies established under the ‘Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Its remit includes work on trade, business development and related matters. The body is based in Newry and is jointly funded in a 2:1...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Retail Sector (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 33 and 46 together. The Government recognises the importance of the retail sector to Ireland’s economy. It is employment-intensive, and covers every community in the country. The combined wholesale and retail sector employs almost 273,000 people in Ireland – that is almost 15% of our total workforce. In recognising the importance of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: In addition to the work of the enterprise development agencies operating under the aegis of my Department, whose statutory function is, in the case of IDA Ireland, to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and, in the case of Enterprise Ireland, to support indigenous industry, the Action Plan for Jobs forms a key element of this Government's approach to rebuilding the economy and getting...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Issues (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies supported by the enterprise development agencies. The 2012 survey shows that the total number of new jobs created in IDA Ireland’s client companies in the five Border counties of Cavan, Louth, Leitrim, Donegal and Monaghan was 619 while the number of job losses was 264. IDA Ireland has informed me...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Numbers (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise Ireland has had an active relationship with VistaMed and is working with the company to ensure growth is concentrated in Ireland. In particular, the agency is seeking to ensure that VistaMed becomes the preferred centre for new medical product development within the conglomerate Group and that the maximum number of new jobs is created in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland has...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Public Service Reform Plan Measures (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the Public Service Reform programme agreed by Government in November 2011. In July 2012, the Government agreed a range of actions aimed at achieving a focused and integrated approach to external service delivery of non-core processes with the objective of reducing costs and focusing staff on priority areas. As part of this approach, the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Alternative Energy Projects (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation in the Energy Sector between my colleague Mr Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and Mr Edward Davey, the United Kingdom Secretary for Energy and Climate Change, is a very welcome development and provides the confidence and assurance to those in the wind energy sector that Ireland is open...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Proposed Legislation (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 49 together. The Company Law Review Group (the CLRG) spent several months last year considering the feasibility of introducing a new structured and non-judicial debt settlement scheme for small and medium sized companies. I received the CLRG’s report at the end of September and, shortly after that, I brought that report to the attention of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Relations (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Central Statistics Office (CSO) views the United Kingdom as a whole for services trade data. Therefore, it is not possible to provide separate Great Britain and Northern Ireland figures. However they can be separated for Goods Trade. The attached table details the data sought by the Deputy. North South Trade Exports (€000) Exports (€000) Exports (€000) Exports...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Growth (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: As regards the share of GDP going to labour in 1990, 2000, 2006, 2011 and 2012, I am advised that relevant data is only available since 1994 and is not yet available for 2011 or 2012. The following table sets out Ireland’s share of GDP going to labour in the years 2000 and 2006. The figure for 2010 is also provided as this is the latest data available. Labour Income Share (Real ULC) ...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Prompt Payments (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 32, 36 and 44 together. Prompt Payment for goods and services rendered is critical to the effective working of any economy and is an issue to which this Government is committed. The reduction in the number of late payments in commercial transactions is one of the ten principles cited in the Small Business Act for Europe as a means to help SMEs to deal...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Regulation (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: Reducing costs for business is a central theme of the Action Plan for Jobs. The 2012 Action Plan included an extensive range of measures across Government which will help to reduce costs for business generally and support job creation. My Department and agencies have undertaken several initiatives to support this objective, including: reforming the statutory wage setting mechanisms;...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Numbers (21 Feb 2013)

Richard Bruton: The number of jobs created and supported by InterTradeIreland in the past five years was 1,594. Based on the analysis of 2012 jobs impact (new jobs created plus existing jobs protected), the average cost of each of these jobs was €12,251. For the period 2005-2011, Enterprise Ireland’s "Cost per Job Sustained" was €12,024. Enterprise Ireland’s "Cost per Job...