Results 12,901-12,920 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of the negotiations on the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, TTIP, is to reduce barriers to trade and investment in order to generate jobs and growth. According to assessments made by the European Commission and other European bodies, a comprehensive TTIP could over time boost the EU's GDP by 0.5% per annum, resulting in 400,000 additional jobs across the EU. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: First, the EU has made provision that such hearings will not be in private and the individuals involved will not choose the arbitrators. The choice of arbitrator will be by the two sides - the European Union and the US, if the US is involved. On the question of why such protections are necessary, the EU is seeking to set up investment agreements with many countries, including China, Korea...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Agreements (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy may have listened to debates in the European Parliament, but it does not sound like he learned anything from them, because the mandate specifically excludes all those social protection areas. Countries will have the right to pursue public policy objectives in all these areas under a model such as that set out with Canada. The Canada agreement has an investor protection mechanism,...

Other Questions: Job Losses (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I share the Deputy's concern about the loss of any job but particularly the loss of a job in a town such as Carrick-on-Shannon in which MBNA had been such a major employer. A series of actions are being implemented by local and national bodies to source an alternative employer and find alternative employment for those impacted on by the MBNA redundancies which, unfortunately. took effect on...

Other Questions: Job Losses (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: There are a number both on the Enterprise Ireland side and the IDA Ireland side. These are still active and the leads are still very much alive. Many of them hinge on the key requirement of winning an additional contract. As the Deputy knows, when MBNA withdrew, it did not leave behind a body of work that a new investor could simply take up as its starting point. That is undoubtedly a...

Other Questions: Job Losses (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: That is not accurate. IDA Ireland was very active with Bank of America in the process of seeking a buyer. Clearly, that issue was pursued, both nationally and internationally. As the Deputy knows, they succeeded in finding a buyer for the domestic book but not for the UK book. From the MBNA's point of view, declining volumes of activity and its very substantial site in Chester resulted in...

Other Questions: Job Losses (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I accept that. One of the avenues we are exploring is to see if there are companies with established businesses that are in an expansion phase and would consider this a suitable location to complement to what they are already doing at other locations such as Dublin. We are actively pursuing that issue.

Other Questions: Industrial Development (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: While I cannot remember the date, of course, I have established a south-east action plan in the intervening period. As the following reply will indicate, considerable work has gone into that plan. The aim of An 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 each region build on its...

Other Questions: Industrial Development (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Absolutely. Only this week the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, announced the competitive start programme, which is designed to support new enterprise in the regions. This programme is one of the vehicles we use. Enterprise is very strong in Wexford. The fact that employment has increased by 21,300 in the past two years is indicative of a very strong performance....

Other Questions: Industrial Development (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Since the first quarter of 2012. The recovery has been building. During 2011, the decline in employment levels continued. However, 2012 was the first year in which the position stabilised. In 2013 and 2014, there has been a significant increase in employment. CSO statistics indicate that the south east has done the best of all the regions in the intervening period. The south east is...

Other Questions: Science Foundation Ireland Remit (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I know that Deputy Naughten is a scientist and that, if I am not mistaken, he has done seminal work on science in education.

Other Questions: Science Foundation Ireland Remit (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I do not accept the premise of the Deputy's question. We are not turning our back on basic research, rather we are insisting that basic research be oriented towards our strengths. The remit of Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, since its establishment has been to fund oriented basic research in strategic areas concerned with the future development and competitiveness of industry and...

Other Questions: Science Foundation Ireland Remit (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I do not accept that all of our eggs are in one basket. There are many other avenues through which funding is provided, including the Irish Research Council, the Department of Education and Skills and Horizon 2020, through which €1.25 billion can be drawn down. Deputy Naughten cited the example of Connacht Rugby. We must look at areas in which Ireland can perform well. We have...

Other Questions: Science Foundation Ireland Remit (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: In terms of the impact of our research spending across all of the measures, including spin-outs, licences, publications and so on, we are doing extremely well. In comparison with other countries, we are top in terms of the impact per euro we spend. We are exceeding performance in those areas. Key to all of this at the end of the day is employment. We want to ensure that the impact of our...

Other Questions: Consumer Protection (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Consumer detriment is a measure of the loss experienced by consumers where they have cause to complain about a product or service. The study referred to by the Deputy examines the number and range of problems across the whole economy, as well as in specific sectors. It is the first time a study of this size and scope has been conducted in Ireland. This is an important benchmark study which...

Other Questions: Consumer Protection (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: We have a consultation paper on proposed legislation to consolidate and update consumer laws. We have received some responses which we will examine. This will assist us in developing new legislation. We need to continue to focus relevant information on consumers. It is encouraging that 80% of consumers inquire about services or products and shop around. We have, therefore, a more...

Other Questions: Consumer Protection (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: There are two EU directives which have been adopted and will improve the ability of those who buy on the Internet to take a complaint across all 28 member states in a uniform way. That legislation is in train and will be transposed in Ireland. Increasingly, people are migrating to the Internet as a way of trading. This legislation, accordingly, is designed to keep track with this. It will...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: In 2014 the National Project Team for the National Health Innovation Hub finalised recommendations on the optimum arrangements for establishing the national Hub. These arrangements were arrived at by taking into consideration the experience to date of the (pilot) Demonstrator Project in Cork, and the outcome of an independent evaluation of the Demonstrator Project carried out by consultants...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Government recognises the need to place a greater emphasis on supporting enterprise growth and job creation at regional level. Employment has increased in all regions - and nationally by 80,000 - since the start of the Action Plan for Jobs process in 2012. Employment in the Midlands region increased by 8,000 since the start of 2012 and the unemployment rate for the Midlands region has...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am encouraged by the level of interest the House is showing in the delivery of the new Regional Enterprise Strategies which my Department is leading on. As I have mentioned previously, the Government recognises the need to put a greater emphasis on supporting enterprise growth and job creation at regional level. While employment has increased nationally by approximately 80,000 since the...