Results 12,241-12,260 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permit Applications (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a permit issued in this instance on 9thJuly 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Appeals Tribunal (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy has not been in a position to provide any specific details as to the names of the parties in this case I am not in a position to provide any information in relation to the date of any hearing or in relation to the issue of any determination. In the circumstances, I can only again give you the normal expected times taken for the issue of a determination in the average case....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Unfair Dismissals (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Rights Commissioner Service is part of the Labour Relations Commission, a statutory body independent of my Department in the performance of its functions. I understand that, in this instance, while the claim referred to an unfair dismissal, it was lodged under the Industrial Relations Acts 1969 to 2001. The Rights Commissioner’s Recommendation issued on 2 May 2014. In the case...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Consumer Protection (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The rights of purchasers of tickets for the Garth Brooks concerts derive from their contract with the ticket service provider. The terms and conditions governing tickets sold by Ticketmaster provide that, where an event is cancelled and not rescheduled, ticket purchasers are entitled to a refund of the sale price of the ticket, including the relevant service charge. Ticketmaster have issued...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Reports (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: It is anticipated that my Department’s annual report for 2013 will be finalised in the autumn. The report will then be translated into Irish, as required by the Official Languages Act 2003, and will be published in both languages when the Irish translation has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Programme (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, the ongoing programme which I have initiated to reform the State’s employment rights and industrial relations structures is at an advanced stage. This reform programme will result in the establishment of a new two-tier Workplace Relations structure comprising two statutorily independent bodies replacing the current five. We will have a new single body of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Banking Sector (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The position in relation to finding a suitable buyer for MBNA's UK loan book remains unchanged. By way of background, the former MBNA Credit Card processing facility in Carrick-on-Shannon now comprises two operations. Firstly, a new operation called AvantCard was established following the purchase of part of Bank of America’s Credit Card portfolio by Apollo Global Management. This...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Provision (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: A report on the Social Enterprise sector in Ireland was published by Forfas in July 2013. The report, “Social Enterprise in Ireland: Sectoral Opportunities and Policy Issues”, profiles the sector and contains a number of recommendations for actions that could be taken to support the development of Social Enterprise in Ireland. It is clear from the Forfas report that there are...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The total public relation costs incurred by my Department and its Offices in 2013, 2014 and estimated in 2014 are as follows:- Year 2013 Expenditure to date in 2014 Total Estimated Expenditure for 2014 Total PR Costs Incurred €79,663* €1,476 €3,321 * €76,480 was incurred to provide the Department with Press and Media Relations Services for the Irish Presidency...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: SMEs are at the heart of Government policy and since coming into office this Government has maintained an unrelenting focus on alleviating the difficulties being experienced by this sector. Actions to support SMEs are set out in the Action Plan for Jobs. Since the Action Plan process was launched in 2012, a significant number of initiatives have been introduced to support the SME sector....

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: We debated this proposal in the other House and on Committee Stage here. It goes back to the recommendations of the mergers group which clearly used the term "prevalent". This is about defining "diversity of content". If one uses the word "present", it will require the itemisation of every single strand of thought and a decision on whether these strands are represented in the context of an...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I go back to the background which prompted the legislation. It was on the back of a number of studies carried out by Oireachtas committees of the groceries sector which found that some very large retailers were thought to have a disproportionate influence on the supply chain. It was considered that we needed to regulate contracts in order that small suppliers in the groceries supply chain...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The background to this is the same. This is just a subset of what Senator Ó Clochartaigh's amendment would have provided. For the same reasons, I am not disposed to start picking individual sectors and applying new regulations to them that we have not given any background thought to. This is not a practical amendment.

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: We discussed this and I produced an amendment in the Dáil which I think accommodated the original concern that led to the tabling of these amendments. The issue of franchises has two sides. The individual operator who holds a franchise licence is the franchisee and the overall higher-level operator is the franchisor who operates and controls the franchise. While the majority of...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: This issue was discussed previously. It really boils down to what we can reasonably expect this legislation to do. What we are seeking to do in this legislation is to regulate contracts between suppliers - typically smaller suppliers - and larger retailers or vice versain the case of small grocery shops with larger wholesalers. We cannot guarantee the viability of any individual player in...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I recognise that this is a complicated issue. The danger is the law of unintended consequences. The type of regulation sought by Senators will not deliver what they wish it to do. Individual companies, in the publication of profit returns, do not disaggregate product by product. They do not detail the profit made on potatoes, beef and so on. That is not how companies make their returns....

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: This amendment, as I understand it, seeks to allow the decision on whether to have a contract governing the chain of supply to be voluntary on the part of one side. Such a provision would undermine the operation of the Bill. The thinking behind the Bill is that if there is a contract, there is a trail of evidence that can be examined by an independent body to see were the terms of the...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: We discussed this issue on Committee Stage and basically the issue hinges on whether something of this nature should be put into primary legislation which it is set for all time and in all cases or whether it should be left to regulations where, as we now have under section 63B(2)(q), regulations may "specify the manner and timeframe in which payment for grocery goods supplied to relevant...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: We discussed this matter on the last occasion and, as Senator Darragh O'Brien acknowledged, there is nothing wrong with the retention of title where both sides agree within the contract. The issue arises as to whether we should make this a compulsory element of every contract. As we pointed out, it has a knock-on effect on workers and other suppliers who might be exposed in the event of...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: Clearly, it will be in the interests of the commission to protect the anonymity of individuals. That will be its mode of operation. It also has independent powers to investigate cases in which it believes there are abuses. This proposal would not add anything to these protections. As the Senator pointed out, if one is prosecuting and the evidence of the accuser is necessary, anonymity...