Results 21,341-21,360 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Forfás was the owner of all industrial policy as well as the properties of the individual agencies. The property function has been transferred to the IDA. The IDA provides the property solutions for Enterprise Ireland as well as itself. The property previously vested in Forfás is now vested in IDA.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: IDA Ireland is in Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, which is on the canal.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: That continues to be the case. Every effort has been made by Forfás to seek replacement tenants or to dispose of the leasehold interest. Working with professional estate agents, a number of marketing initiatives were undertaken since 2008. Forfás has worked with IDA Ireland in marketing the property. The Office of Public Works and the Department of Finance were advised of the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: On foot of the Deputy's remarks, I will look again at Carrisbrook House. No effort has been spared in turning over every stone in terms of both the private and public sector market. I will talk to the property managers to see if the space would be of interest to Enterprise Ireland or others who would be looking at start-up space. Clearly, with the improvement in the property market the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: No.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: No.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I may have some proposed amendments to table on Report and Final Stages. They refer to the following: a change to the Long Title to correct the reference to the Health and Safety Authority; an amendment to shorten section 25 of the Bill; and an amendment to provide for developing the devolvement of the administration of the pensions for existing pensioners of Forfás to a relevant body...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: This Bill is part of the work of trying to re-organise government to be more effective. I thank the Vice Chairman, members of the committee and the many people involved in making this integration a possibility. I have always held the view, going back to the time of the Culliton report, which enunciated industrial strategy, when the strong view at that stage was that we needed effective...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Correspondence (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: All correspondence received in my office is acknowledged and responded to appropriately, having particular regard to my roles and responsibilities as Minister in relation to the issue or issues being raised. Insofar as the particular case being raised by the Deputy is concerned, my Office, both in September 2013 and again in March 2014, drew the correspondent's attention to the important...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Proposed Legislation (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Discussions with stakeholders on the Programme for Government commitment to reform the current law on employees' right to engage in collective bargaining (the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2001), so as to ensure compliance by the State with recent judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are ongoing. While these discussions have yet to conclude, I hope to be in a position to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle long-term unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity through the Action Plan for Jobs. In addition, the Government recognises the need for measures to support the unemployed and keep jobseekers close to the labour market. In this context, the major elements of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Legal Costs (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: The amount paid to law firms by my Department and its Offices during 2013 in respect of legal fees is set out in the table. Name of Law Firm Amount paid in legal fees € Kilroys 4,305.00 Arthur Cox 5,712.28 Connellan & Co. 799.50 D.H. Sheridan & Co. 11,475.54 Dermot G. O’Donovan & Partners 1,309.21 Frank Nyhan & Associates 15,012.45...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Portfolio (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together. Under the Industrial Development Acts, the management of IDA Ireland’s property portfolio, including the provision of property solutions for client companies, is a day to day operational matter for the Agency and not one in which I have a function. I understand from IDA Ireland that the Agency has identified a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: On 16 January 2014 the Government approved the text of the Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill, subject to such drafting and technical changes as may be agreed with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. I am informed that work is progressing on these necessary technical changes and that the Bill will be published at the earliest opportunity. The overriding objective of this Bill is to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Services Issues (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware I have engaged in extensive public consultation in framing my proposals for a radical reform of the State’s Workplace Relations Services. While there are excellent and committed people working in the five existing Workplace Relations Bodies, often with challenging workloads, clearly the system itself has not performed and needs to be changed. Indeed, there...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Websites (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Since September last, work has been ongoing in my Department, with the assistance of consultants who were selected following a competitive tendering process, for the purpose of redesigning the Department’s website. My Department’s objective is to develop a more user friendly website which will give customers enhanced access to the services provided by the Department. As is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Grocery Industry Competition (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: Work on drafting the Competition and Consumer Protection Bill, which is included in the “A list” in the Government’s current Legislative Programme, is at an advanced stage and it is hoped to publish the Bill in the coming weeks on foot of receipt of a stamped copy of the Bill from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. In addition to introducing enabling provisions to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Community Enterprise Centres (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: I understand from Enterprise Ireland that since the launch of the first Community Enterprise Centre scheme in 1989, €64 million has been invested by the agency for the development of CECs across the country. To date, there have been 4 schemes and 159 centres have been approved for financial support, of which 117 have been completed. The question posed by the Deputy regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Travel (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: In October 2012, the Taoiseach made a two-day visit to the United States as part of a Government bid to attract foreign investment and tourism to Ireland. The Taoiseach's visit, which included stops in Philadelphia and Cleveland, was aimed at delivering a message to international business people, investors and the Irish diaspora, that Ireland is open for business. Over the course of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Private Sector Pay (11 Mar 2014)

Richard Bruton: A return to wage bargaining is already visible in certain sectors of the economy. In this regard, I note that the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation has indicated that around half of its members expect to experience some level of pay increase over the next 18 months. However we must not lose sight of the fact that Ireland’s economy had become increasingly and...