Results 19,721-19,740 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Commission (12 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body which was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC’s core services include the provision of early resolution, mediation, conciliation, facilitation and advisory services, adjudication on employment and equality complaints, the monitoring of employment conditions to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (12 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: IDA Ireland collates data on client site visits on a county and quarterly basis. The Agency does not compile information on site visits to particular parts of individual counties. The table sets out the number of site visits to Dublin by quarter from 2015 to 2017. IDA Site Visits to Dublin 2015 to Q1 2017 Dublin Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total 2015 58...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (12 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory independent body responsible for the enforcement of domestic and EU competition law in the State.  Section 9 (5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 provides that the CCPC is independent in the performance of its functions. I, as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, have no direct function...

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Deputy Michael McGrath is absolutely right when he said that capital investment fell severely because of the economic situation we faced. The crisis had its impact on our infrastructure and this is what we must now correct. The way we will do so is by prudent management of the economy and in making the very best use of the resources we have in the period ahead. I will outline what the...

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy makes very relevant points on this being a good period for investment. The Government is keenly aware of that. As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has been making visits across the EU to discuss that very issue. For the first time the European Investment Bank now has a centre in Dublin. This is very important and is another sign of its support for Ireland....

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: My first point relates to the actions that are being taken under Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's multi-stranded action plan to deal with the housing and homelessness issue, with which the Deputy is very familiar. We are creating the right conditions and the environment to increase housing supply, especially in our cities and large towns, and we are encouraging competition among...

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Everyone, including housing authorities, is working very hard to ensure the progression of homeless families to independent tenancies as quickly as possible. Every action that is being taken is targeted at ensuring people will not have to stay in that type of accommodation over a longer period. We have to recognise the numbers that have moved into secure accommodation from homeless...

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy raised a number of issues. He started by referring to public sector reform and the OECD report. That report noted that the Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2016 was very successful, by and large, in terms of completing the majority of the activities it set out. The report outlined key lessons and findings. On the subsequent points raised by the Deputy on sections 38 and 39...

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: What the Deputy said has widespread implications for the role of the community and voluntary sector in providing services. That role has been very valuable and is hugely valued by our communities. We have some excellent services. The idea that every service would solely be in the charge of, and run by, the State would require a great deal of consideration and might not even be desirable....

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I ask the Deputy to acknowledge the progress that has been made. He did not support many of the policies that got us to the point where our economy is now doing so well and where we have seen a drop-----

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----in unemployment from 15% to 6%. The NTMA is an extremely professional body. It has managed us through the crisis and overseen a situation where we have moved from being charged interest rates of 14% to one where they are down to 1%. I have confidence in it to continue to manage the debt. That the economy is in the current position is extremely important in terms of the rates at which...

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: We had to borrow in recent years because we wanted to protect our investment in public services, which is what the Deputy and all other Deputies would have wanted.

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Most Deputies support borrowing to continue the investment during a period of crisis.

Leaders' Questions (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The important point is that we were able to borrow at manageable interest rates. As a result of Government action and because our reputation has been restored, we have been able to borrow at rates that are sustainable, having declined from 14% to 1%. The Deputy should also recognise that the unemployment rate has decreased from 15% to 6%, which makes a difference to his constituents who...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Quite a number of the programme for Government commitments we made have been implemented. There are some constitutional difficulties with the special court that are still being examined.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister for Finance will revert to the Deputy on that.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I ask the Minister for Social Protection to respond.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: There were very serious problems with the Deputy's Bill. It had very many unintended consequences and it was the health committee itself that decided it should not proceed to the next Stage.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: We have a health committee set up to examine and carry out pre-legislative scrutiny on Bills. When it examined the Deputy's Bill it found that it was not fit for purpose in the sense that there were unintended consequences, both legal and otherwise, including leakage of supply of cannabis to the recreational market-----

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----and a lack of safeguards against harmful use of cannabis by patients. The use of medicinal cannabis has been taken on board by the Minister for Health. As the Deputy is aware, he asked for a report from the expert group. I believe we should be led by clinicians when it comes to this issue and he is making sure that there will be a medicinal cannabis access programme.