Results 20,381-20,400 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I thank Senator Barrett for his amendment and Senator Quinn for his comments. The issue is not whether it is a good idea to look at sheltered sectors of the economy and open them up to scrutiny, because I think that is agreed by everyone. The real issue is whether the Bill already provides for this and I would argue very strongly that it does in section 10(3) which Senator Barrett is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The OECD published a preliminary review of the action plan for jobs on 22 April this year. The review examines some key elements of the action plan and found that the plan's focus on private sector-led, export-oriented job creation by getting framework conditions right and continually upgrading the business environment is a sound approach, particularly given fiscal and credit constraints....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Initiatives (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The monitoring is centralised in the Department of the Taoiseach, which oversees every Department. The merit of this lies in the fact that it tries to span the whole area. Both I and the Ministers of State travel continually to the regions to hold meetings on the Action Plan for Jobs in order to get regional feedback. We are open each year to public contribution and ideas from anyone in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Missions Participation (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: There have been 29 ministerial-led trade and investment missions since 1 January 2013. Normally, IDA investment missions would not involve Irish companies, so half of them are not relevant. Enterprise Ireland trade missions are open to all Enterprise Ireland companies. A full listing of events is published so that companies can participate. Since 1 January, 30 Cork-based companies...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Trade Missions Participation (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise Ireland works with any company, no matter where it is based, and if companies need to see products developed through research or need to implement lean techniques, we will support them. This year we are introducing a step change for manufacturing, examining companies and auditing them to try to lift their capabilities. If companies in west Cork have ambitions that are not being...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: In 2013, for the first time in many years, every region experienced employment expansion. It is noteworthy that this included the south east and Border, midlands and west regions. This year, 2014, is the fifth and final year in IDA Ireland's Horizon 2020 strategy, which has been in place since 2010. One of the high level targets of the strategy was that 50% of all investment would be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to note the Deputy is changing his view of the role of foreign direct investment in the economy because he suggested, in an earlier question, that FDI was somehow undesirable and unsustainable. Foreign direct investment is an important element in the economy. There are, however, limits to what one can do in terms of regional location. IDA Ireland does not choose what areas of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy is trying to have it both ways. Speaking out of one side of his mouth, he pretends that we have an excessive reliance on US companies and foreign direct investment and, speaking out of the other side of his mouth, he craves more foreign investment in particular regions.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: We need to win all the mobile foreign investment we can because emigration and unemployment are high. This investment strengthens certain sectors of the economy and builds clusters. We also need to develop a credible regional strategy within which IDA Ireland investment is only one part. We must have a credible and wide regional strategy that builds up the competitive advantage of regions,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: As I indicated, all posts are advertised. Two thirds of positions were filled by those who had responded to advertisements. However, as the Government's decision indicated, Ministers have to make decisions about suitability and, in some cases, an expression of interest does not yield the individuals required. In such cases, obviously, one needs to head hunt to fill these posts. That is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: There are appointees from overseas on the boards and such appointments will continue to be made. Anyone who expresses an interest in a board will be considered, whether he or she volunteers at the global forum or by direct response to advertisements. There is an open trawl of persons who would be suitable. Clearly, only certain posts will become vacant every year and we have to consider...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: Since taking office, I have made 41 new appointments to the boards of agencies within my discretion. A further 67 were either reappointments or posts reserved under legislation for various representative groups. The Department advertised all board positions in the form of a group advertisement at the start of the year. Of the new appointments made at my discretion, 28, or over two thirds,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: A key element of the work of my Department and the development agencies is to work closely on an ongoing basis with client companies to ensure potential threats to employment in their operations are identified well in advance in order that they can be addressed before major difficulties emerge. There is a significant level of engagement with companies, quietly and behind the scenes, to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: Each case has to be treated on its merits. The company is the primary point of contact with workers. Clearly, IDA Ireland and other agencies have to respect the company's confidentiality. Such companies are often quoted on the Stock Exchange. If they indicate the direction of their thinking in confidence to IDA Ireland, giving it an opportunity to work with it to achieve the best possible...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: Absolutely. Consolidation in the pharmaceutical sector is a fact of life. IDA Ireland's objective is to ensure that in any such consolidation Irish plants will be in a position to win in any restructuring. That is a continuous challenge that we are always addressing in working with companies to ensure plants in Ireland are the best they can be. We have a strategy, but, obviously, one must...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Seed Capital Scheme (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: Under the Seed and Venture Capital Scheme 2007-2012 a total of 14 funds were established which secured a total of €525m in external funding in addition to the commitment made by the State of approximately €175m. As of December 2013, there were 177 companies in receipt of investment under this scheme. They employed 2,244 and generated €250m in sales. Compared to the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: In line with Government policy to reduce the overall staffing numbers in the public sector, staffing levels of my Department, its offices and Agencies, including NERA, are managed within the context of challenging staff reduction targets contained in the employment control framework managed centrally by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Staffing of all business units is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am informed by my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection that any consideration of a restructure of pension scheme benefits under section 50 of the Pensions Act must comply with the provisions in the Pensions Act and with guidance issued by the Pensions Board. This guidance makes provision for the notification of all pensioners in advance of any application to the Pensions Board to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am informed by IDA Ireland that during 2013 and to date in 2014 there were a total of 10 IDA sponsored site visits by potential investors to County Donegal. These site visits were from new companies visiting the location for the first time and from senior executives of existing companies. There are many complex factors influencing investor location decision-making such as the increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (10 Jul 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Action Plan for Jobs is underpinned by a rigorous monitoring mechanism and by the publication of quarterly Progress Reports on the implementation of individual actions. This year’s Action Plan contains 385 actions to be delivered across all Government Departments and over 40 public bodies. Most of these actions have interim quarterly milestones to be achieved as part of the...