Results 10,721-10,740 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Other Questions: Trade Agreements (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Corporations always have the right to sue States. There is nothing innovative about that. If an international agreement gives certain terms of access, a corporation is entitled to see that parties which have contracted to that agreement would respect that. As I said in my reply, this in no way seeks to change the legal protections the EU has in any area, whether in food, intellectual...

Other Questions: Regional Development (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 22 together. Enterprise Ireland runs many initiatives to help sustain existing jobs and to create new jobs in the county and provides funding to the Institute of Technology in Letterkenny to build research capabilities in County Donegal and the north west region. There are 180 Enterprise Ireland client companies in County Donegal employing 2,655...

Other Questions: Regional Development (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Deputy McConalogue has a total misunderstanding of the purpose of the capital budget allocated to my Department. It is to support enterprises that are growing. It is not available for road projects, which would have to be funded by other Departments. Perhaps the Deputy would direct his question to those Departments. We support Enterprise Ireland and IDA companies and micro-companies in...

Other Questions: Regional Development (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The truth is I cannot build roads. I do not have the authority to do so nor can I fund the building of roads. While I am sure there is great merit in the Deputy's proposal, I am not the Minister to do it but I can support enterprises. We have 14 IDA Ireland and 180 Enterprise Ireland companies in County Donegal. We will approach those companies in the coming year to see what their plans...

Other Questions: Job Creation Data (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Forfás annual employment survey reports on job gains and losses in companies supported by the industrial development agencies. Data are compiled on an annualised basis and is aggregated at county level. Figures for 2013 will not be available until the end of the year. In the two-year period, 2010 to 2012, inclusive, the total employment numbers in IDA Ireland client companies in...

Other Questions: Job Creation Data (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: As I said, IDA and Enterprise Ireland numbers are collected by way of a survey of those companies and they will not be available until later in the year. The survey results from the CSO, which has nothing to do with my Department but which were published yesterday, cover groups of counties. It does not break it down by county. However, the Border region, which includes County Donegal, saw...

Other Questions: Job Creation Data (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy was a member of the party which was in government previously. We have secured a 25% increase in the number of people working in IDA companies in the past two years. That contrasts with the situation under the previous regime of a reduction of approximately 33%. This is a strong performance and the Deputy needs to recognise that. I do not think he should be bad-mouthing the...

Other Questions: Job Creation Data (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: -----in developing companies. Much work is being done and more work will be put into this but the progress must be acknowledged.

Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Arising from Budget 2014, the 2014 Exchequer allocation to my Department and the agencies under its aegis has been set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at €781 million. This allocation comprises a current allocation of €339 million and a capital allocation of €442 million. Individual allocations across my Department and its agencies will be presented...

Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: Unfortunately, the agencies operating under the remit of my Department and every other Department are being reduced in size. That is the reality within which we are working. There have been reductions of approximately 15% in staff numbers. Departments and agencies have been required to seek to work in a smarter way by reorganising their activities. Enterprise Ireland has been particularly...

Other Questions: Departmental Expenditure (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: A number of questions have been asked. We have received agreement from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to fill some key positions in Enterprise Ireland. There will be ongoing discussions between his Department and my Department on how the capacity of Enterprise Ireland might be developed against a background of resource constraints. Clearly, we will continue to find plans...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Protection (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 32 together. Both Pratt and Whitney and Lufthansa have had to undertake a global review of their operations. In Pratt and Whitney’s case, a decision was taken by the parent company to transfer dwindling customer requirements to a site in the US. This has resulted in the phasing out of older technologies and products. However, the company still...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: One of the key means to expanding market access in the US will be the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The decision by the EU Trade Council last June to formally launch negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US was the outcome of a key Government objective for Ireland’s EU Presidency. Now that the negotiations are underway, we...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Life Sciences sector is central to the Action Plan for Jobs and in particular for Enterprise Ireland’s (EI) strategy to support their indigenous Irish clients to create jobs. As far as EI clients are concerned, the approval of a number of new drugs by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2013 is expected to provide limited opportunity for the indigenous pharmaceutical companies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The EU-Mercosur trade negotiations take place in the context of the EU’s common commercial policy. The EU Commission leads the talks for the EU. Negotiations on an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement were launched in 2000, suspended in 2004 due to substantial differences on the trade part of the agreement, and resumed again in May 2010. Since then, nine negotiating rounds were held, the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Government is committed to reform of the State’s existing Workplace Relations Services. Shortly after entering office, I committed to a fundamental reform of the workplace relations system. The overall objectives are to promote harmonious and productive employment relationships and to encourage early resolution of disputes, the vindication of employees’ rights and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a broad ranging economic agreement being negotiated between the EU and the US. This agreement with the U.S. is very significant not only for the EU but also for Ireland given the scale of U.S. investment here and the deep historic ties we have with America. In 2012, U.S. firms had investments worth over $200 billion in our country and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Data (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: My Department does not undertake employment forecasts. However, the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs has set the objective of supporting the creation of 100,000 extra jobs in the economy over the period 2012 to 2016 with an overall target of 2 million people in sustainable employment by 2020, through a series of annual measures aimed at improving Ireland’s competitiveness and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Regulation (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: My Department and its Agencies continue to focus on reducing administrative burdens on business, with a reduction of 25% already having been achieved; this amounts to annual potential savings for business of over €207 million. Details of all the initiatives making up this total are available on my Department’s website. Successful initiatives resulting in significant savings...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (27 Nov 2013)

Richard Bruton: The EU Council of Ministers gave a mandate to the EU Commission to negotiate the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The scope of that mandate is wide ranging and allows the EU Commission to enter into negotiations with the US on many issues, including Investor-State dispute settlement mechanisms. It is very early days in the negotiations, and far too early to say whether, and...