Results 13,361-13,380 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Advisers Remuneration (26 Feb 2015)

Richard Bruton: I can advise the Deputy that there have been no severance packages paid in my Department to Special Advisors in the period referred to.

Topical Issue Debate: Job Losses (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. I share their concern for the workers involved. This is a disappointment for many people. I have known this company intimately over a long period. It set up in Dublin in 1932 and, therefore, it has been here a long time. At any given time, we work with companies that are developing opportunities to grow and, sadly, with companies, including...

Topical Issue Debate: Job Losses (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: This is a reminder to us that every day is a battle. We are trading in a competitive global environment and costs in plants in a global group such as this are compared. That, unfortunately, is the world in which we live and if we want to sustain higher pay, we have to have better production process, increased efficiency and so on. That is one of the tough parts of the environment in which...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Funding (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise Ireland provides investment to distilleries in the form of expansion, R&D, Management Development and Competitiveness Improvement supports. In addition to any direct jobs created, there is a large number of construction jobs involved as well as ongoing tourism activity arising from Visitor Centres often being situated beside distilleries. Each distillery investment is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Farm Safety (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Health and Safety Authority Code of Practice on Preventing Accidents to Children and Young Persons in Agriculture prohibits children under the age of 14 from riding on agricultural machines including agricultural trailers unless a risk assessment shows it to be safe to do so. Farmers must prepare a Safety Statement to comply with Section 20 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Local Enterprise Offices (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Longford replaced the County Enterprise Board (CEB) for Longford on 15 April 2014 to become the first-stop-shop for micro- and small-enterprise development within the County. Enterprise Ireland (EI) is responsible for allocating budgets to individual LEOs for both current administration and capital requirements. Details of the budget allocations for LEO...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Strategy for the Manufacturing Sector, which I commissioned, and which was published in April 2013, identified that an additional 20,000 jobs can be created in the sector by 2016. A complementary report on the skills needs for the sector, which I had commissioned at the same time, was published by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and Forfás, and it identified a series of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I am informed by IDA Ireland that in the four year period 2011 to 2014 inclusive, there has been a total of 87 IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to County Galway. The number of site visits paid in each of the years in question is set out in the tabular statement. For reasons of client confidentiality and commercial sensitivity, such as the potential impact on future...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The aim of the Action Plan for Jobs is to help enterprises to create employment in all regions of the country. The latest Quarterly National Household Survey figures form the CSO show that employment has increased nationally by over 89,000 since the start of the Action Plan process in 2012. However, not all regions are yet fully experiencing the benefits of economic recovery. That is why...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Missions (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Each year I, along with my colleagues in Government, lead a number of trade and investment missions across the globe to support Irish companies selling abroad and to attract foreign direct investment to this country. These missions are in support of the work being done on the ground by the enterprise development agencies Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. The value of the St...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee Scheme Implementation (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The SME Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) was introduced to encourage additional lending to SMEs and not as a substitute for conventional lending that would otherwise have taken place. A review of the CGS was undertaken and laid before the Oireachtas in July 2014. As a result of the review of the CGS and on foot of immediate concerns raised by the Credit Review Office, Business...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Legal Costs (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: My Department did not engage the services of McCann Fitzgerald in the period 2011 to 2014. The amount paid to Arthur Cox solicitors by my Department and its offices for the years 2011 to end 2014 is as follows:- January – December 2011 Amount paid € Dates of contract (if applicable) 135,288.00 13th September 2010 - 12th September 2011 January – December 2012 Amount...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Company Law (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: As part of its work programme for 2010/2011 the Company Law Review Group (CLRG) examined the penalties that apply to companies that do not submit their company annual returns by the statutory deadline. These are known as late filing penalties and include monetary fines and loss of audit exemption for two years. The purpose of the review was to assess the proportionality of those penalties....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Programme (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Government approved the delegation of responsibility for implementation of the Construction Contracts Act, 2013 to my colleague, the Minister of State for Business and Employment, Mr. Gerald Nash T.D., in November. Work is continuing on the preparations for the full implementation of the Act, as the commencement of the Act is dependent on a number of factors set out in the legislation....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Low Pay Commission Remit (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Terms of Reference for the Low Pay Commission agreed by Government are as follows: "Context The National Minimum Wage Act 2000 provides for a “national minimum hourly rate of pay” – the minimum wage. The aim of the legislation is to provide for a guaranteed, and regularly updated, minimum wage rate that will help as many low-paid workers as reasonably practicable,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Low Pay Commission Remit (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Scheme of the proposed Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill 2015 provides that in discharging the functions assigned to it under the Act, the Low Pay Commission shall make such recommendations to the Minister that are designed to set a minimum wage that is fair and sustainable, and when appropriate, is adjusted incrementally, and that, over time, is progressively increased to assist as...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Public Procurement Contracts (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The Government acknowledges the significant role that SMEs play in the Irish economy and is committed to ensuring that SMEs are fully engaged with public sector procurement and the opportunities presenting. Policy responsibility for public procurement is a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, T.D and the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) falls...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: National Internship Scheme Administration (3 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The JobBridge scheme is the national internship scheme administered by the Department of Social Protection. The legislation underpinning the JobBridge scheme specifically provides that a participant shall, for the purposes of any enactment or rule of law (other than the Tax Acts and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005), be deemed not to be an employee. Any complaints regarding...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Properties (4 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: My Department does not have a property portfolio in its own right. This responsibility belongs to the Office of Public Works (OPW). In addition, it is for the OPW to provide optimum staff numbers for each building regarding floor capacity. However, the occupancy of each of the buildings whether state owned or leased that the staff of my Department occupy, is presented in tabular format. ...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Losses (4 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: My first thoughts are with the workers concerned and their families as they receive this very difficult news. All the supports of the State will be made available to workers as and when needed. I engaged with senior management of the company in question last week and have urged them to reconsider this decision, and asked if there is anything the State or its agencies can do to mitigate its...