Results 21,481-21,500 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: County Enterprise Boards (Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: I can assure the Deputy that we will continue to have that separate line and this is confirmed in the service level agreement. My Department will be providing the funding for enterprise support and there will be no question of it being absorbed into the other works of local authorities. The key to the success of the local enterprise offices is, as the Deputy says, the forging of this new...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: County Enterprise Boards (Dissolution) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: I refer to section 2(3) which states: The Minister may by order declare that, for the purposes of this Act, the administrative area (including, in the case of a county, the administrative area of any town council situated within that county) of a local authority specified in the order forms part of the functional area of another local authority specified in the order.It would not be envisaged...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: Senator Clune asked how the energy aspect would be approached at the Council meeting. The answer is that it could be approached in 28 different ways.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: Yes. Everyone who attends the Council meeting tends to view it from his or her own perspective. We would see the need for greater interconnection and the need for us, as an isolated energy player, to get more integrated, diversified energy sources. The approach taken is probably different for different countries. A new 2030 energy climate framework has just been published by the EU. That...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: No.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: No. The Deputy inquired about other models. The huge growth in third level participation here probably puts us at one end of the spectrum. As the Deputy correctly stated, approximately half of the relevant cohort in Germany would take the apprenticeship route. However, there is a route back, and this underlines the strength of the German system. It is not the case that someone who takes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: No, it has nothing to do with that. The TTIP negotiations make no difference. The concern is that businesses may move to lower-cost energy sources. TTIP has no relevance in that regard because it only changes tariffs. However, the tariffs in this case are extremely low. Reducing a tariff from 2% to 0% would be neither here nor there in terms of competition if it is possible to avail of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Internal Market in energy is essentially about delivering a free flow and a strengthening of infrastructure in order to provide better interconnection and enhance the ability to trade across boundaries. Where, for instance, electricity is cheapest in France or wind power is most plentiful in Ireland, it offers the benefit of the cheapest source across the network. This reduces the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: They are big questions. Many energy resources, including nuclear power and renewables, raise significant public policy concerns which are shared by the general public, not just by policy makers. The Senator's comments are well made. If we want to diversify away from our dependence on fossil fuels, we must identify the sources of energy we intend to pursue and develop a strategy for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: To be fair to Commissioner Tajani, he certainly has a sense of urgency. Europe has put its money behind it. The Horizon 2020 programme involved a substantial increase in a welcome sense from an Irish point of view because we are top of the league in terms of access to funds for SMEs under the programme. The programme has increased the proportion going to small and medium-sized enterprises...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy and he is welcome back to the committee. As I said to Deputy Calleary, it is not unlike our own challenge. Our approach to the Action Plan for Jobs is not altogether dissimilar to the European approach. It considers a wide range of areas. It is possible to see this from the headings, which refer to the integrated market and how we bring down barriers within the market....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: I can understand why the Deputy would be looking for more action. The areas of initiative are not a surprise. They are about better integration of the market, which will promote opportunities. They are about improving the operation of the digital market, which has a big untapped potential in Ireland. It is estimated that 75% of online trading goes out of Ireland. This is about Horizon...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Forthcoming Competitiveness Council: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: It is a pleasure to brief the committee. I am accompanied by officials of the Department, Mr. Philip Kelly, assistant secretary, Mr. Tommy Murray, principal officer, Ms Orla O’Brien, assistant principal officer and Mr. Garry Purcell, higher executive officer, all of whom work on different aspects of the Competitiveness Council agenda, which is quite broad. The first item on the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Unfair Dismissals (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) is independent in the exercise of its quasi-judicial function and I have no direct involvement in its day to day operations. As the Deputy will be aware from my previous response last December, my office has been in contact with the individual concerned following upon a review by my Department of the issues involved in this matter. The letter that...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The number of staff of my department currently on career breaks is set out in tabular format below. The “duration of break” refers to the length of time off requested by the applicant when applying for their career break, including any extension and/or waiting period before a return to work. Career breaks are available to staff of my Department in accordance with provisions...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Sick Leave (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The information is contained in the following table. Sick Days 2009 2010 2011 2012 Sick Days (Total) 10,644.5 11,120 10,223 8,301.5 Average no. of sick days per Full Time Employee (FTE) 10.03 12.28 12.30 10.53 Median overall sick days per employee 7 7 6 6 Sick Days (Certified) 9,406.50 9,971 9,264 7,520.5 Average no. of certified sick days per employee (FTE) 8.9...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: There are 12 IDA Ireland Client companies in Kerry employing 1,638 people (up from 1,605 in 2012). IDA Ireland has strong relationships with all these companies and works closely with them to ensure their long term sustainability and to encourage their growth, development and continuing re-investment in their sites. The primary opportunity for regional locations is in respect of the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The State’s industrial development agencies can provide support to both Irish and Foreign companies under a range of State Aid measures, including Research, Development and Innovation Aid, Environmental Aid, Risk Finance, and Training Aid etc. In addition, of particular importance regarding foreign direct investment strategy are the Guidelines on Regional Aid (also known as...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Financial Services Regulation (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The “accounting policy” referred to in the Deputy’s question is in fact an extract from my reply of 28 January 2014 to question 328. Whether the matter to which it refers might be interpreted by banks in the manner suggested is a matter of conjecture. International Financial Reporting Standards and International Accounting Standards, when adopted for use within the EEA...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Equality Tribunal Cases (18 Feb 2014)

Richard Bruton: The Equality Tribunal is independent in the exercise of its quasi-judicial functions and I have no direct involvement in its day to day operations. The Equality Tribunal has jurisdiction to investigate and decide upon complaints of discrimination under the Employment Equality Acts, the Equal Status Acts and the Pensions Acts. The Equality Tribunal also provides a statutory mediation service....