Results 19,961-19,980 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Local Enterprise Offices Establishment (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy may be aware, the Government Decision of April 2012 provided for the dissolution of the 35 County Enterprise Boards and the establishment of 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) in each Local Authority area. On this basis the LEO Louth was established in the County Council Offices in Dundalk. My Department has no current plans to deviate from this model. The role of the Local...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The issue of empowering the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to issue civil fines has been examined by my Department.  The current legal position is that civil fines are not provided for in Irish law for anti-competitive practices. The Attorney General has previously advised my Department that providing for them would pose legal difficulties having regard to Article...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (3 Oct 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. Its search powers for the purposes of investigating alleged breaches of competition law are set out in section 37 of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (the “2014 Act”).  Section 37 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ticket Touting (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: My predecessor as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O'Connor T.D., published a consultation paper on the resale of tickets for entertainment and sporting events on 20 January 2017 along with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the then Minister for Tourism and Sport. The 24 responses to the consultation were published on the Department's website on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2017: Motion (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am pleased to present the draft sectoral employment order for the construction sector for the committee's consideration. The draft ministerial order is being made under section 17 of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015 - the first order made under that Act - and the intention is that the order will confirm the rates of pay, pension and sick pay entitlements for craftsmen, general...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the opportunity to make introductory remarks relating to the mid-year review of my Department's 2017 Estimates. I am accompanied by the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, who has responsibility for innovation, research and development. We have given the committee a briefing and I hope it will give members a clear understanding of what we are delivering for the money voted by the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy said, additional pay was secured in the Revised Estimates, which was very welcome. That allowed IDA Ireland to increase its staff cohort for specific posts. Seven of the posts have been filled to date and the process relating to the remaining three is well under way. In addition, we recently secured sanction from the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Typically, they are at assistant principal level. They are good jobs and it reflects the job situation out there that there is a lot of demand for people. I believe they are very close to filling all the positions. They expect that by the end of the year they will be very close to having them all filled.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is a mixture of permanent and contract. Some of the posts abroad tend to be a couple of years - maybe five year contracts - and it varies depending on the circumstances in different countries, on what people want and what the organisation needs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, they have sanction for the initial contract and then there is discussion. It varies depending on the needs of the market at a particular time as far as IDA Ireland is concerned.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. I will get that figure for the Deputy and forward it to him. On Succeed in Ireland, we have said previously that the Department will be commissioning an independent review of the Succeed in Ireland programme. That review will be carried out after the details of the initiative's full and final costs are available. That will equip us with a full understanding of the programme's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: That is 35.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Sorry, I beg the Deputy's pardon; I thought he was still discussing IDA Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, 39 were sanctioned.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, they are. My information, as of today, is that this is the number working there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I certainly agree with Deputy Quinlivan that I would like to see progress in this area. I have met with IDA Ireland and with ConnectIreland. I have had a very long and good meeting with ConnectIreland. I would really like to see an end point to this in trying to determine what the final costs are and to move on to the review. I agree with the Deputy that if there is the possibility of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like arbitration or mediation to bring that phase to a conclusion, and then to move on. I am certainly happy to pursue this. I agree with the Chairman's comments and anyone would be happy to pursue jobs from whatever source. IDA Ireland is doing a very good job. It has more foreign direct investment in the pipeline. Recently I have seen at first hand the trade missions and so on,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, it is.