Results 11,761-11,780 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Seanad: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Second Stage (29 May 2014)

Richard Bruton: We are seeking to put together a regional enterprise framework to integrate the Enterprise Ireland plan for regions and local enterprise offices. We are seeking to get local stakeholders behind a combined strategy, identifying where the competitive strengths of the region are and looking to build on them. That conversation is important and now that we have local enterprise offices embedded...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Job Creation (29 May 2014)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising the issue. It is a continuing challenge to get regional spread. We are in a major transition. I was just looking at the figures for the west published by the Central Statistics Office from the census and there was a 60% reduction between 2006 and 2011 in the number of people employed in construction, amounting to a loss of 15,000 jobs. That is evidence of...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Job Creation (29 May 2014)

Richard Bruton: We have established our community enterprise centres, numbering 115 across the country. However, we respond to entrepreneurs coming forward with their ideas. We cannot grow entrepreneurs or enterprises in particular areas. We can try to provide facilities in different areas so that anyone who is emerging can get support. If Enterprise Ireland has a competitive start in a region but does...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I have been informed by IDA Ireland that as part of its ongoing operational management they have recently committed to undertake a review of the property offerings in Castlebar in regard to its suitability for marketing to FDI clients. This work has not yet commenced but as part of the process, the Property Division of IDA Ireland will firstly assess the potential of the current property...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Action Plan for Jobs is the Government's key policy instrument to assist job creation. Its aim is to support enterprises to create employment throughout the whole of the country and in all regions. The 2014 Action Plan for Jobs recognises that regions that support strong and dynamic enterprises are crucial to Ireland's return to overall economic growth. In this context, the Action Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: State Properties (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: IDA Ireland and Shannon Development are the only two agencies under the remit of my Department who hold industrial property portfolios. Under legislation both agencies are independent in the exercise of their property function. Property solutions to companies who are clients of Enterprise Ireland are also provided by IDA Ireland. As part of the restructuring of Shannon Development, the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the enterprise development agencies. I am informed by IDA Ireland that the number of people employed in their client companies in 2013 was 166,184. Every ten jobs in an IDA Ireland client company supports seven jobs in the wider economy. 2013 represented the fourth successive year of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permit Applications (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: A notification of a decision to revoke the permit issued to the person named by the Deputy on 15 May 2014. In accordance with Section 16 (3) and Section 16(4) of the Employment Permits Act 2006, the decision to revoke the permit in question shall not take effect until the expiry of a 28 day period following the notification of the decision to revoke. This is in order to allow either the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: On behalf of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR), and as part of the Government's National Digital Strategy, the Local Enterprise Office Dublin City recently conducted an Online Training pilot scheme targeting small businesses in the Dublin area. The pilot consisted of two 'trials', each of which were successfully completed; one was completed at the end of...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Job Retention (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I share his concerns following the recent developments in Bausch & Lomb initiated by the new owners of the company. I fully realise the exceptional pressures on workers and their families that stem from the restructuring proposals made by Bausch & Lomb. The company has provided significant numbers of jobs in Waterford for several...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Job Retention (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: IDA Ireland's early warning system is about identifying companies within its remit that are facing difficulties and seeking to work through a transformation agenda. Over three quarters of IDA Ireland's budget is spent on the transformation agenda and working with companies to reposition them to protect jobs for the future. This work is not done in the public arena, rather it is done on the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Job Retention (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am always open to meeting public representatives and I have no problem meeting them. This is an area in which I have taken an initiative to place a focus on the south east. I have recognised the need identified and taken an active role in trying to meet it. I welcome the support of public representatives in seeking to meet it.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Regional Development (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. She has underlined to a degree some of the difficulties facing IDA Ireland in securing a regional spread. Much of the mobile investment in recent years has been high tech, high skill, research-related investment which has, to a large degree, been focused on cities that offer that environment. The figures show that Galway is not doing...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Regional Development (4 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I would be happy to do so. We are focusing on it and I hope we will be in a position to update the Seanad later in the year.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Data (5 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: We have made significant gains over the past two years and employment has now grown on an annual basis for six quarters in succession. By comparison, when this Government came into office the economy was losing an average of 1,600 jobs per week. Furthermore, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has fallen from 15.1% at the start of 2012 to 12% in 2014. The quarterly national...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Data (5 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I assure Deputy Calleary that neither I nor my Department needs any wake-up call in terms of the scale of the employment challenge we face. One of the features of our work has been to systematically engage an all-of-Government focus on this singular national challenge. Let us consider the performance to date. We have in the past 18 months seen 70,000 extra people at work. The vast...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Data (5 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The chief executive of any State agency must respond to the challenges that he experiences. I do not seek to control or influence that. We need to have people speaking honestly to power, as has been said often. Clearly, we need to improve our competitiveness all the time. This is not an optional add-on. We are competing in a tough global environment but this year we have put new people...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Credit Guarantee Scheme Implementation (5 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am quite happy to update the House on the situation in Bausch and Lomb, but I am not sure it is in order.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Credit Guarantee Scheme Implementation (5 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I replied on an Adjournment matter in the Seanad last night. There is no reluctance on my part to respond. I have met with Deputies and have been trying to accommodate the House. The SME credit guarantee scheme, or CGS, was established under the Credit Guarantee Act 2012 to address specific market failures in lending to SMEs and in response to calls from business interests. It is a novel...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Credit Guarantee Scheme Implementation (5 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am happy to discuss this further with the joint committee. To be fair, this was something that was considered in the Department during the term of the previous Government and not implemented. We decided to take it on. It is novel. The changes people have spoken of involve looking at the range of lending products the scheme covers, the range of lenders who can participate, the duration...