Results 1,861-1,880 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I have still not heard from the Deputy what he believes is not working.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy is throwing this across the committee table.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy asked this question at the last meeting. We are talking to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the issue. I understand there are public money constraints. It is very difficult to imagine Oxford professors working in research for €32,000. There are constraints and we are talking to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to try to improve that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Senator asked about patents. Companies are deciding to patent outside the country. We are doing well in the country, but we want to do better, which is why we need more investment. We want to be a global innovation leader, which is why we have the Innovation 2020 strategy, but we need more investment. I believe Deputy Donnelly asked about the shift from enterprise and research.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: It is not as much as we anecdotally hear and I will provide some figures. Funding for basic research comes from many sources, including through the block grant from the Department of Education and Skills through the Higher Education Authority. That source provides about €190 million. The latest figures available to me show that for the academic year 2012-13 a little more than half...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The metrics we use and those that are published are internationally accepted and acknowledged metrics. In respect of whether we are happy, we always want to be better.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The third expenditure programme area funded in my Department's Vote is the area of regulation. The regulation programme funds the activities of a number of offices within my Department, such as the Companies Registration Office, the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, the Labour Court, the Employment Appeals Tribunal, which is coming to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I will deal with the national minimum wage. Any decision made on the national minimum wage will be a collective Government decision considered in the context of the budget. The Low Pay Commission is independent and was set up by the former Minister of State, Gerald Nash, in 2015. It examined all issues before making the recommendation. Deputy Smith is right. It was a split decision....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Independent. Data on the impact of the last rise in the national minimum wage to €9.15 has not yet become available. The national minimum wage affects many small Irish businesses in the retail, hospitality and food sector which often operate in rural areas and whose profit margins can be very low. These were the aspects that were taken into consideration. The Low Pay Commission...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In respect of fees and expenses paid since the establishment of the Low Pay Commission, the amounts paid to commission members who are in receipt of fees are available. Fee payments for 2016 represent payments made for the period from January to June 2016. Two commission members, Patricia King and Gerry Light, waived entitlements to fees and expenses. One member, Professor Donal O'Neill,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: As I said, it was a split majority decision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I will deal with the vulture funds first. Section 1(10) of the Taxes Consolidation Act is a matter for the Minister for Finance but I take the points Deputy Donnelly made on board. If he has competition concerns, he should raise them with the CCPC, which is an independent State agency. I have no direct involvement in the day-to-day operations of the agency. The Deputy made a good point...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am coming to that. The waiting time for legacy cases to be heard is down from 128 weeks at the beginning of 2015 to 53 weeks now. The Labour Court received 566 cases, an increase of 66% on the same period, and waiting times have reduced from ten to six weeks, which is welcome. I will give a comprehensive reply on the closure of Clerys because what happened there was an absolute...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The number of inspections undertaken by the HSA has fallen in recent years. A total of 15,430 inspections were conducted in 2011 and this fell to 10,719 in 2014 due to staff reductions and changes in the character of inspection activity, notably in the farm sector. Most inspections are targeted at high risk sectors such as construction, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, mines, quarries,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Increased economic activity in construction will inevitably increase the risk of accidents. I visited the HSA this week and we will ensure it has sufficient resources in 2017. We need more resources. I understand the Deputy's concern about construction but half of the fatalities are on farms. I am extremely concerned about that. Work needs to be carried out on education and on making...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Construction inspections are increasing as the sector grows again. I am interested to hear Deputy Donnelly's proposal and my Department will liaise with him on it. On the issue of accidents on farms - if there are any farmers listening to me - one of the messages at the ploughing championships was about heights. Many fall from heights of 9 ft. or 10 ft., for example, when they go up onto a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department officials are nodding their heads. In the spirit of partnership Government and doing the right thing, it is very welcome.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (27 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The goal of this Government is to support the creation of an additional 200,000 jobs by 2020 with 135,000 outside Dublin and to achieve sustainable full employment. We also want to attract back 70,000 emigrants from aboard. This is a whole of Government effort and is delivered through our integrated Action Plan for Jobs. The Action Plan for Jobs process aims to strengthen the enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (27 Sep 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 928 and 946 together. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is a new generation agreement that will remove tariffs between the EU and Canada and will create sizeable new market access opportunities in services and investment. It will end limitations in access to public contracts, open up markets for services and offer predictable...