Results 1,861-1,880 of 6,431 for speaker:Gerald Nash

Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed) (26 Nov 2015)

Gerald Nash: Indeed. I can whistle for that. I remind Deputy Finian McGrath that the Microfinance Ireland operation is in place. The performance of that body is improving all the time. It presents a significant opportunity for small and medium enterprises at a micro level to gain access to finance at reasonable rates when they need it, where they need it and in a timely fashion. We have made some...

Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Referral to Select Committee (26 Nov 2015)

Gerald Nash: I move:That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation pursuant to Standing Orders 82A(3)(a) and (6)(a) and 126(1) of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (26 Nov 2015)

Gerald Nash: The latest data from the Quarterly National Household Survey for the third quarter of 2015 shows an increase in the labour force for those between 20 and 34. This encouraging trend echoes the strong employment data throughout the QNHS, including a revision that puts the unemployment rate below 9 per cent in October. There were 685,300 people between the age of 20 and 34 in the labour force...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Company Closures (26 Nov 2015)

Gerald Nash: Neither I nor Minister Bruton have met Natrium Limited. However, in the context of preparing my Report to Government on the sale and liquidation of Clerys, I wrote to Natrium Limited on three occasions requesting a meeting to discuss the situation regarding the unexpected liquidation of OCS Operations, the subsequent redundancy of Clery's workers and its plans for the future of the Clery's...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (26 Nov 2015)

Gerald Nash: I am currently engaged in a public consultation on the University of Limerick’s study on the prevalence of zero hours contracts among employers in Ireland. The consultation process commenced on 9thNovember and will run over an eight week period to 4thJanuary 2016. My Department has published on its website a Consultation Document designed to assist interested parties in making a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (26 Nov 2015)

Gerald Nash: I am currently engaged in a public consultation on the University of Limerick’s study on the prevalence of zero hours contracts among employers in Ireland. The consultation process commenced on 9th November and will run over an eight week period to 4th January 2016. My Department has published on its website a Consultation Document designed to assist interested parties in making a...

Topical Issue Debate: Crime Prevention (1 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who regrets that she cannot be present due to other official commitments. She is grateful to the Deputy for raising this important matter in the House. She is aware of the concerns about rural crime, burglary in particular. She considers that burglary is a persistent and highly damaging crime, particularly in the very...

Topical Issue Debate: Crime Prevention (1 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: I will mention those points to the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald at the earliest opportunity. I am familiar with many of the points the Deputy has raised. Just last night I attended the Louth IFA meeting in the Ballymascanlon House Hotel in north County Louth to discuss these very issues. Reference was, in fact, made by a senior IFA representative to the south County Laois pilot...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (2 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: The Deputy will understand that I cannot provide legal advice in relation to the employment or other rights applying to any individual’s specific circumstances. Independent legal advice should be sought in relation to any concerns an individual may have about their situation. Ireland has a comprehensive body of employment rights, equality and industrial relations legislation, in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 201 together. Apart from public sector employees, where certain statutory retirement ages may apply, there is no statutory retirement age for employees in Irish legislation. A contract of employment will generally contain a retirement age but this is a matter of contract between the parties. The upper age limit for bringing claims under the Unfair...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: I move amendment No. 1:In page 3, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “PART 1 PRELIMINARY AND GENERALShort title, commencement and collective citation1. (1) This Act may be cited as the Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Act 2015.(2) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as the Minister may appoint by order or orders either generally or with reference to any...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: I move amendment No. 2:2. In page 3, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “Definitions2. In this Act— “Minister” means the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; “Principal Act” means the Credit Guarantee Act 2012.”.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: In response to Deputy Peadar Tóibín's amendment, in extending the scope of the legislation and introducing additional flexibility, there will be scope to examine how a range of finance providers can operate under the Bill. I cannot accede to the amendment which relates specifically to crowd funding and credit unions. As far as the Government is concerned, these provisions are not...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: We are satisfied that the scope of the Bill is broad enough to provide for the alternative financing arrangements to which Deputy Peadar Tóibín refers. Section 2(1)(b) provides that the "finance provider stands approved for the time being by the Minister in accordance with this section". This is sufficiently broad to cater for what the Deputy wants to achieve. We are all trying...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: We are taking them seriously. As I said, there is sufficient scope and flexibility to ensure we will have as broad a range of alternative financing arrangements for SMEs as possible. We are taking this issue seriously, but we do not want to go down the road of specifically identifying in primary legislation different sectors because that could tie our hands in terms of the extent and...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: We in the Department and I, as a constituency Deputy, are in constant contact with the credit union sector, as is the Department of Finance, in regard to the role of credit unions and how that will evolve in the context of the SME sector. We have asked the credit unions to bring forward proposals in that regard. As far as I understand, there has been no significant detail from the credit...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: I thank the Deputy for his words. I know he is particularly interested in the scheme and we have spoken about it. I am not accepting amendment No. 4 which deals with a specific matter which is not appropriate for legislation. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the banks and other finance providers and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, SBCI, will actively promote...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: That is precisely the point I was going to make. It is probably sufficiently answered by Part 3 of the Bill in terms of the SBCI and its role as a promotional financial institution.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: No, it will allow it to provide the counter guarantee.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Gerald Nash: Yes, to provide the counter guarantee.