Results 20,741-20,760 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The European Investment Bank will act as guarantor for the likes of microfinance but in the case of most of these bigger funds it expects the State to put up the equity piece so the State is taking the biggest slice of the risk. It is a case of deciding whether this is a better deal than can be achieved with other financial instruments. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: Who was that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: What is the Deputy's alternative suggestion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I do not think there are regional funding models other than the EU ones in terms of Leader and the European Social Fund. There are a number of EU sponsored modules, Structural Funds and so on. If the Deputy is talking about a regional enterprise type fund, I have not seen any measures in that area. A difficulty in terms of regional policy is that much of what we do in the enterprise area...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: It was broadened two years ago from including internationally traded sectors to include most sectors. If the Deputy has a specific idea, between myself and the Minister for Finance, we will certainly consider it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I could find a lawyer to advocate any position one wanted.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: It is not my area of expertise. A major effort was made to find a way to deal with that issue and it did not prove possible at the time. Not much has changed since then. The Senator is free to present his legislation, as he has done, and I am sure it will be taken seriously.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I have to confess I have not read all the other country-specific recommendations. The Commission analyses the data sets in each which tend to follow the same sort of pattern. In countries where there is high unemployment such as we had, although mercifully that is improving, it focuses on active labour market policies, retraining and displacement. Countries that have a bigger fiscal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy’s first question about the force of the recommendations is a good one. Most are recommendations which are jointly adopted before our peers. The CSRs for Ireland will be adopted by the entire Union of 28 states. We are making a political commitment to deliver to one another. There are enforceable clauses in any recommendations that relate to finance because of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: In regard to the concept of one's maiden aunt criticising one, possibly when the troika was here, the maiden aunt was coming in with severe teeth telling one what to do. Now we are involved in what is a multilateral process. Every member state is put under scrutiny and faces country-specific recommendations. There is a meeting of our peers where we can seek to get changes if we do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Senator's point on barriers to starting up business are right, although we have put much work into this. We had the Seán O'Sullivan forum, which brought together entrepreneurs, and we are now developing a policy statement on the back of that. We have done a number of things. Recently, we announced a competition to find the best young entrepreneur at county and national level in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Tóibín makes a general point and says that he does not like EU oversight. We are interdependent and we have agreed that in certain areas of policy, because of that interdependence, we share information and accept recommendations at a general level and seek to implement them. This is a process from which we gain as well as it involving our being under scrutiny. I have no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy has raised a number of points in his contribution to which I will seek to respond. The review of the apprenticeship scheme drew together people from all relevant areas. The apprenticeship scheme collapsed because it was excessively reliant on the construction sector and was no longer fit for purpose. This is the reason the Minister for Education and Skills decided to undertake a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: As the members probably know, up to this year Ireland was not involved in these country-specific recommendations because we were within the troika programme and much of the commitments and assessment of our national policy was done by the troika overseen through those quarterly visits. With the new regime we are now back into the general system that applies across all member states where...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the enterprise development agencies. I am informed by IDA Ireland that the number of people employed in their client companies in 2013 was 166,184. Every 10 jobs in an IDA Ireland client company supports 7 jobs in the wider economy. 2013 represented the fourth successive year of jobs...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The official signing ceremony for the EU-Colombia/Peru Trade Agreement took place on 26 June 2012. The EU was represented by the Presidency and by the EU Commission. All EU Member States are Parties to the Agreement and signature by all Member States took place ahead of the official signing ceremony. Ireland signed on 25 June, 2012. The full entry into force of the Agreement is subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Funding (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am aware that the Office of the Director, in common with the other Divisions and Offices of my Department, participated in a Departmental Workforce Planning exercise in 2012 and again in 2013. Notwithstanding the merits of the various submissions received, the moratorium on recruitment and the need to observe Employment Control Framework targets severely limit the capacity of my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Measures (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: My Department has identified the following legislative provisions that have been passed by the Oireachtas since 2011 but have not come into effect to date: sections 2, 7 and 8 of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 have not been commenced or been given effect to date. It is expected that Section 2 of that Act, which provides for small private companies to apply directly to the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Data (10 Jun 2014)

Richard Bruton: The 'Succeed in Ireland' initiative was launched in March 2012 as one of the key action points in the Action Plan for Jobs 2012. This unique pilot initiative is managed by IDA Ireland and delivered on their behalf, under contract, by Connect Ireland, a subsidiary of the Taxback Group. Connect Ireland markets, promotes and implements the ‘Succeed in Ireland’ initiative in the...