Results 11,221-11,240 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Topical Issues Debate: Job Protection (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: To be fair to NAMA, there is a bit of a misunderstanding of its role. NAMA was supportive of an arrangement that would have facilitated a management buy-out of a company that was insolvent. Implicit in that was an agreement to have some of the debts dealt with to allow the company to continue to proceed. As I understand it, it was not NAMA's fault that it was not possible for this process...

Gateway Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: "acknowledges the important role that activation and work placement initiatives have had on supporting jobseekers; notes that: — the number of people in employment in Ireland grew by 61,000 or 3.3 per cent last year and stood at over 1.9 million at the end of 2013;...

Gateway Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: It is important to see this in the context of a range of schemes. I refer to the additional part-time training which is available to a person on the Gateway scheme. FÁS provides approximately 15,000 part-time training courses. JobsPlus is the new grant scheme targeted at people who have been unemployed more than one or two years. A total of 1,600 people are participating in that...

Gateway Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I do not mind the Deputy intervening.

Gateway Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The increase in employment of 61,000 in the past 12 months - or 66,500 if one looks only at the private sector - is nothing to do with increased emigration. These are extra people at work in Ireland today. Emigration could be any number, but the fact is there are additional people in work who were not in work 12 months ago. The past five quarters have seen increases in the employment rate....

Gateway Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, is considering that concept of building a social clause into public contracts, which would include, for instance, a quota of apprentices from the live register. I understand it is being piloted and there is an ambition to expand. I hope we are coming to a point in our economic recovery where more employers will be...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Correspondence (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: All correspondence received in my office is acknowledged and responded to appropriately, having particular regard to my roles and responsibilities as Minister in relation to the issue or issues being raised. Insofar as the particular case being raised by the Deputy is concerned, my Office, both in September 2013 and again in March 2014, drew the correspondent's attention to the important...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Proposed Legislation (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Discussions with stakeholders on the Programme for Government commitment to reform the current law on employees' right to engage in collective bargaining (the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2001), so as to ensure compliance by the State with recent judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are ongoing. While these discussions have yet to conclude, I hope to be in a position to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle long-term unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity through the Action Plan for Jobs. In addition, the Government recognises the need for measures to support the unemployed and keep jobseekers close to the labour market. In this context, the major elements of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Legal Costs (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The amount paid to law firms by my Department and its Offices during 2013 in respect of legal fees is set out in the table. Name of Law Firm Amount paid in legal fees € Kilroys 4,305.00 Arthur Cox 5,712.28 Connellan & Co. 799.50 D.H. Sheridan & Co. 11,475.54 Dermot G. O’Donovan & Partners 1,309.21 Frank Nyhan & Associates 15,012.45...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Portfolio (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together. Under the Industrial Development Acts, the management of IDA Ireland’s property portfolio, including the provision of property solutions for client companies, is a day to day operational matter for the Agency and not one in which I have a function. I understand from IDA Ireland that the Agency has identified a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: On 16 January 2014 the Government approved the text of the Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill, subject to such drafting and technical changes as may be agreed with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. I am informed that work is progressing on these necessary technical changes and that the Bill will be published at the earliest opportunity. The overriding objective of this Bill is to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Services Issues (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware I have engaged in extensive public consultation in framing my proposals for a radical reform of the State’s Workplace Relations Services. While there are excellent and committed people working in the five existing Workplace Relations Bodies, often with challenging workloads, clearly the system itself has not performed and needs to be changed. Indeed, there...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Websites (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Since September last, work has been ongoing in my Department, with the assistance of consultants who were selected following a competitive tendering process, for the purpose of redesigning the Department’s website. My Department’s objective is to develop a more user friendly website which will give customers enhanced access to the services provided by the Department. As is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Grocery Industry Competition (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Work on drafting the Competition and Consumer Protection Bill, which is included in the “A list” in the Government’s current Legislative Programme, is at an advanced stage and it is hoped to publish the Bill in the coming weeks on foot of receipt of a stamped copy of the Bill from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. In addition to introducing enabling provisions to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Community Enterprise Centres (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I understand from Enterprise Ireland that since the launch of the first Community Enterprise Centre scheme in 1989, €64 million has been invested by the agency for the development of CECs across the country. To date, there have been 4 schemes and 159 centres have been approved for financial support, of which 117 have been completed. The question posed by the Deputy regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Travel (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: In October 2012, the Taoiseach made a two-day visit to the United States as part of a Government bid to attract foreign investment and tourism to Ireland. The Taoiseach's visit, which included stops in Philadelphia and Cleveland, was aimed at delivering a message to international business people, investors and the Irish diaspora, that Ireland is open for business. Over the course of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Private Sector Pay (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: A return to wage bargaining is already visible in certain sectors of the economy. In this regard, I note that the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation has indicated that around half of its members expect to experience some level of pay increase over the next 18 months. However we must not lose sight of the fact that Ireland’s economy had become increasingly and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Competitiveness (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The competitiveness and industrial performance of EU Member States is monitored on an on-going basis by the European Commission and is reported on in the Commission’s annual Competitiveness Report. The Commission’s 2013 report on Ireland’s industrial performance acknowledges that, while challenges remain, the economic adjustment programme that has been implemented by the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Since coming into office this Government has had a clear focus on assisting SMEs to establish, expand and export, with a view to driving economic recovery and creating jobs across the country. SMEs make up over 99% of businesses in the enterprise economy in Ireland and account for almost 70% of people employed. One of the measures introduced by Government is the “Action Plan for...