Results 10,681-10,700 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The levying and collection of commercial rates is a reserved function of the Local Authorities which come under the policy remit of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D. The Annual Rate of Valuation (ARV) is decided by the elected members of each Local Authority in their annual budget. The monies raised by Local Authorities through payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Government recognises the jobs challenge facing Ireland at this time, most particularly for small and medium sized business. SMEs make up over 99% of businesses in the enterprise economy in Ireland and account for almost 70% of people employed. That is why within the Action Plan for Jobs process Government has ensured that there is a particular focus on supporting small businesses and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The County and City Enterprise boards provide support for micro-enterprise in the start-up and expansion phases, promote and develop indigenous micro-enterprise potential and stimulate economic activity and entrepreneurship at local level. Their primary role is to support individuals and firms in achieving commercial viability, with priority given to those engaged in manufacturing and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that IDA Ireland’s mid-year results, announced in July last, showed that foreign direct investment into Ireland was very strong in the first half of this year. In the first six months of 2013, there was an increased number of investments, with approximately 7,000 associated jobs to be created as companies implement and complete their investment...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Policy responsibility for maternity benefit, illness benefit and PRSI is a matter for the Minster for Social Protection. Changes to these schemes were announced as part of Budget 2014. The change to the illness benefit scheme means that the number of days a person must wait before receiving illness benefit from the Department of Social Protection is being increased from three days to six...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Succeed in Ireland Initiative, which was launched in March 2012, was one of the key Q1 commitments in the Action Plan for Jobs 2012. The initiative aims to create 5,000 jobs over five years. The project is being administered by Connect Ireland, a subsidiary of the Taxback Group, under a contract with IDA Ireland. The scheme is designed to complement, not compete with, the work of IDA...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Agencies Staff Recruitment (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Overall staffing levels for Departments and associated non-commercial State agencies are currently subject to annual employment control framework limits set down by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Against that backdrop, exemptions to the moratorium on the filling of vacancies in the public service are subject to the sanction of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Policy Reviews (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Successful entrepreneurship is critical to Irish economic development, and consequently, supporting entrepreneurship is a central part of our Action Plan for Jobs. 67% of all new job-creation comes from businesses in the first five years of existence. A continuous and steady flow of new business start-ups plays a crucial role in creating jobs and sustainable economic growth and will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The ESPCO Council is on 9 December. The agenda falls into some legislative and non-legislative items. I will deal with the items that fall into my remit. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, can be involved in different parts of the council. The agenda is still a little fluid, but the key...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: I agree with Deputy Calleary that the employment numbers today were encouraging, with 58,000 additional people at work. The public sector continued to shed about 4,000 workers in the period while almost 62,000 additional people are at work in the private sector, in the sectors which are strongly export oriented. It shows that the economy is making a transition to the sectors that are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: It should be adopted before the June elections, which is the target. It is not my direct area of responsibility but I understand that a review of apprenticeships is under way which will report shortly. While this is a framework across member states, Ireland will be taking action with the review of apprenticeships and the establishment of SOLAS. There will be national initiatives as well as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: I will begin with Senator Cullinane's last question. We have had extraordinarily strong employment performance in the past 12 months. The figures are suggesting 3.2% growth in employment against a pretty subdued GDP growth background. At the moment, I think GNP is a better indicator of true activity because of the impact of the so-called patent cliff on nominal values of pharmaceutical...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: We were initially in favour of a closed list, but the consensus is now moving towards an open list, with a Commission verification that what is being put into the open list is not unreasonable. That is the direction in which the proposals are moving and it is a consensus we would be happy to support. I accept there is a problem in regard to registered employment agreements in light of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Workers will be protected in our law under the REAs when the latter are restored. The existence of legally backed agreements is recognised under European Union law and ensures, in accordance with the posting of workers directive, that contractors from outside jurisdictions who may be using employees from lower wage economies do not obtain an advantage over local contractors in terms of wage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: There is nothing essentially new in the communication to which I referred. As I understand it, it is simply a matter of reviewing established practices in this area. An example of an existing practice would be the requirement to work one stamp in order to activate one's record from country to country. There are several of these types of restrictions in operation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: No, it is merely a review of existing practices. No proposal for a legislative initiative has been brought forward. The communication is essentially a research exercise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy's contribution certainly deserves a response. As he knows, my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, is actively engaged on this issue and is examining how we can fulfil our obligations in this regard. An implementation plan is due at the end of the year. The Minister is examining issues such as social clauses and there is a commitment to introduce...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: There is no doubt that the boom damaged the traineeship model.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Yes. That will have to be grown over time. The MOMENTUM programme is interesting and operates more along the lines of an apprenticeship model. It runs from 20 weeks to 40 weeks and there are 6,500 places available on it. The jury is still out with regard to how successful it can be. However, I am of the view that it can serve as a very useful bridge. Germany has a much more structured,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (26 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: I will give the Deputy an honest answer but I do not know whether it is the right one. One can waste a great deal of time restructuring institutions. What is required is joined-up thinking on policy. In the context of the process relating to Action Plan for Jobs, we are trying to ensure that everyone is on the same wavelength rather than engaging in a huge structural reorganisation. I am...