Results 11,261-11,280 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Grant Payments (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: One can see from the figures that overall State agency spending on Irish-owned companies is approximately €770 million versus €470 million for foreign-owned companies. The Government is spending substantially more on indigenous companies. These figures are for my Department and do not take into account State spending on fisheries, etc. The policy of many Governments over the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Grant Payments (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Irish-owned companies are doing very well in export markets. The previous Government set a target to increase Irish-owned exports by 33% by 2015. We actually achieved that last year and we need to build on it. One has to distinguish between the fact that we support with grants through Enterprise Ireland companies which are export-oriented but do not do the same for domestic retail...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: To be honest, I do not think fair commentators would conclude that. All member states in the European Union agreed to open negotiations with the US for a trade agreement in the interests of promoting growth and employment in their economies. They also made it very clear that they are determined to maintain their social protection standards, and these are copper-fastened into the mandate...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (13 Mar 2014)

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, which was the subject of the Deputy's written question. A few weeks ago, the EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The issue of whether any trade agreement can have an impact on some regions more than others is undoubtedly true. The reason countries seek to get involved in open trade is that on balance, they make gains. There is a possibility that some regions might be adversely affected. For example, if freer trade is opened up in motor cars and a country has a strong motor car industry, there is the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: To go back to the earlier question on why there is investment protection, the truth is that some countries which enter into trade agreements could introduce discriminatory rules aimed at just a particular company because it was a non-national company. In some cases, we have had outright expropriation of companies that invested in a country. The idea of these investment protection treaties...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy should have put that into the original question and if we had more time, I would have answered that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Construction Sector Strategy (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Forfás report on Ireland’s construction sector was published last July and presents an outlook for the sector to 2015, based on known and anticipated demands. The report includes a number of proposed actions aimed at generating more certainty in the domestic market, removing constraints and obstacles, and ensuring that the sector is equipped and capable of delivering...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Construction Sector Strategy (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: On the employment front, construction during 2013 increased for the first time in six years, although it was a small increase. The last quarter was weak, with the previous one being stronger. Part of that may be attributable to poor weather during that quarter. There seems to be opportunity emerging. The Taoiseach has been central to co-ordinating the new strategy, which will be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Construction Sector Strategy (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: There are a number of things which are already in the Action Plan for Jobs, such as the new director of public procurement reviewing the contract letters issued in terms of public procurement. A fresh look is being taken at whether smaller businesses, SMEs, are getting a fair crack. Equally, the Deputy will see that in the water contract, there was an unbundling of the contract to try to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The question asked does not relate to that specific issue. It asked about the counties to which new first-time investments by IDA were attracted.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: New investment in respect of the IDA probably represents perhaps 0.25% of employment in the whole country, so focusing on a tiny proportion does not address the whole issue of regional development, something to which we can return. The Forfás annual employment survey reports on the numbers of jobs gained and lost in the enterprise development agencies' client companies. During 2013,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: If we want to have a debate about regional development, we have to focus on the competitive advantage of a region. Having the debate about how we develop a regional strategy in the way the Deputy seeks to focus, which is on new emerging companies which, as he knows, are predominantly in the digital space, the expectation is that they will get a regional spread and that there will be one in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The target for foreign direct investment is 50% outside Dublin and Cork. It is not a specific regional target of so much investment here, there and yonder because that is not realistic. It has not been possible to achieve this target but this year we improved on last year so we are heading in the right direction.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Regional aid is one of the tools we use to try to achieve a greater spread. We give greater grant support to an overseas investor in certain parts of the country than to those in others, and that has been a conscious policy to try to spread the investment more widely. We also introduced the Connect Ireland initiative, which is an adjunct to the traditional way the IDA does business, and it...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Yes, but it is supported by State money. There is State allocation of funds to any successful connector. That is the way it works.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: We are supporting with public money a scheme developed by a private individual and there is nothing wrong with that. I will take ideas from anyone. I will take them from the Deputy.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The issue of clusters is very valid. We seek to build clusters around particular sectors, be it in the food sector or in the medical devices sector, and the latter sector is a good example. It is regionally spread. Deputy Naughten will know that because he lives within an area where the medical devices sector is very strong. We seek to build clusters in regions as well.

Other Questions: Job Protection (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The position regarding the potential developments at the two operations which formerly formed part of the original MBNA-Bank of America facility in Carrick-on-Shannon is essentially unchanged over recent months. The former MBNA credit card processing facility in Carrick-on-Shannon now comprises two operations. First, a new operation called AvantCard was established following the purchase of...

Other Questions: Job Protection (13 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Clearly, any decision by Bank of Ireland in America of this business is one that it takes. We take every opportunity to seek to ensure we protect the employment there. I met senior executives of Bank of America only a few months ago to again take the opportunity to stress that. We make every effort to promote the employment package in Carrick-on-Shannon and to try to protect those jobs but...