Results 12,801-12,820 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Expenditure (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Details of the amount of grant aid paid by the LEO to client companies at the end of October 2014, the number of training programmes run and the number of attendees is set out in the table below. The Deputy is asked to note that this table reflects only part of the Local Enterprise Office activity to the end of October 2014. In many cases payments are on hold pending completion by the LEO...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Local Enterprise Offices Establishment (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) were established on 15 April last under the CEB (Dissolution) Act 2014 to give effect to the Government Decision to reform the system for delivery of State supports to micro and small enterprises. The LEOs became the First-Stop-Shop providing guidance and support to new entrepreneurs and existing micro and small business owners.As part of the reform, the...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Thank you, Acting Chairman. I will keep my opening statement brief to allow time to respond to issues raised by Senators. The central challenge we have as a nation is to address the employment situation. The crash saw the wiping out of some 20% of all jobs in the private sector in the space of three and a half years. It was an extraordinary degree of attrition which put the country on its...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: It is now 10.7%.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: That is the live register figure. As it is based on the quarterly national household survey, it is the authoritative number.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: On a point of information-----

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I apologise for intervening but what the Senator said is just not true.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: It is a perception.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: So the Senator is referring to high-tech jobs.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Government now has well over €3 billion in an alternative to bank finance in the marketplace. We are putting in other things because banks will be more risk averse. To be fair to the banks the refusal rates, as reported by a Red C survey, are falling. They are down from 30% to 19%. There is some growth in credit from the banking system. There is change afoot but we are not...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: These are Central Statistics Office figures. There is a perception that all jobs are going to Dublin but that is not borne out by the statistics. There is a good spread. I agree with Senators that we need a stronger regional strategy. I will be the first Minister to put in place a regional enterprise strategy, which I will do over the next 12 months. We will go into each region, sit down...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I agree. Many sectors such as food, tourism, engineering and agricultural machinery have a strong regional base where we are competitive and can grow more competitive companies. That will be a focus. The total focus in this debate on how many IDA visits came to X, Y or Z town or village is not a realistic way to build the competitive strengths of our regions. We have to consider sectors...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I will get to the-----

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Senator Naughton asked if employer's PRSI is too high. We brought down the low rate temporarily. That was funded by the pension levy which has been dropped. It did have an impact that we saw on tourism and other sectors. We are moving to a point where we can start selectively to consider taxes where the boot is pinching and the Minister for Finance will do that each year. We are...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Indeed we will not. The Senator should give me a list of the things on which we can have a small business exemption and I will consider them. Most regulation concerns the environment and protection of workers. We protect people with good reason. These are good standards for doing business. We do not want to dilute important ones. We can consider flexibility for some companies. Crowd...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I have no specifics. Several leads are being followed but like all of these matters, they are commercially sensitive and we do not discuss people’s interests in public. There is a joint IDA and Enterprise Ireland task force because it is equally attractive to both and we are pursuing that. If the Senator gives us examples of the shortage of suitable buildings in the Border regions we...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am unsure of what issue Senator Healy Eames was raising in terms of our tax competitiveness. Ireland is the most competitive in terms of corporate tax.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2014: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Our personal tax rates are decreasing, which as the Senator will be aware were raised during the crisis to levels that are too high. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance have indicated that we are now firmly on a downwards route in this regard, with reductions in the USC and in the top rate of income tax. We are pretty tax competitive but we can do more. The CGT rate is 33% rather...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Licence Applications (4 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The only licences which are issued by my Department for the sale of goods relate to Occasional Trading Licences under the Occasional Trading Act 1979. I also have policy responsibility for the Casual Trading Act 1995 but casual trading licences under that Act are issued by the relevant local authorities. Given the nature of the cash-and-carry or wholesale business, neither of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (4 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The aim of the Action Plan for Jobs is to help enterprises to create employment in all regions of the country. If we are to do this successfully, it is important that the economic potential of each region is maximised and that each region builds on its particular strengths and assets to provide an environment that stimulates entrepreneurship and attracts both indigenous and foreign...