Results 22,301-22,320 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy said, last year MSD announced the creation of 330 new jobs and an investment of €280 million in the next three years at two of its manufacturing sites in Carlow and Cork. As part of this investment, the company will create a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Carlow, with 120 new roles. It will be the company's first stand-alone vaccines and biologics...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Of course, we want to see more foreign direct investment in Carlow and the surrounding area, as we do in all regions. That is what IDA Ireland's regional property programme has been designed to do. It seeks to encourage investors to locate outside the main urban areas. I accept that there have been delays in identifying a site in Carlow, but I understand from IDA Ireland that the issues...

Other Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Legal Cases (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I agree that what happened in 2012 was alarming. As I said, a lot of changes have been made to the ODCE. The new director has made a lot of internal changes, and it can be seen from the results that they have done a lot of good work, carrying out their duties and ensuring that people are held to account and brought to justice for wrongdoings in the area of corporate governance etc. I...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The regional enterprise development fund, REDF, supported by my Department through Enterprise Ireland, was launched in May 2017. It is a €60 million competitive fund aimed at supporting significant regional initiatives that will build on sectoral strengths and improve enterprise capability across the regions. The REDF is intended to...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. As he rightly said, my first function in my new brief as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation was to go to the Mullingar facility at the National Science Park. It is a wonderful facility. I have used it as an example of what other regions could do in putting forward an application and providing such a facility for the manufacturing industry. It has...

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I think the Deputy is the one who has gone into outer space at this stage. Enterprise Ireland has a significant investment portfolio. It makes many investments for which it carries out due diligence and the necessary checks. It felt this was the best opportunity for Ardmore Studios. I also believe it is. The business of the company which bought the studios is making films. It wants to...

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: However, I cannot tell people where to make films.

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: This is an opportunity for Ardmore Studios and for the people of Wicklow to strengthen the offering the studio has. There is a bright future for the studio. The film industry is looking for space. Ardmore Studios has the ideal space and I have no doubt the use of that space will be optimised.

Other Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Legal Cases (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: An account of the investigative failures identified by Judge Aylmer is being finalised. The purpose of publishing this account is to understand the factors that led to such mistakes being made and to ensure that appropriate steps have been taken to address these shortcomings. On 9 March, Judge Aylmer granted approval to publish some of the transcripts of the trial, limited...

Other Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Legal Cases (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The ODCE is well resourced. Since the appointment of the current director in 2012, he has enhanced the capability of the office to investigate increasingly complex breaches of company law and amended the investigative procedures used by the office. These enhancements included recruiting additional expertise, most notably the recruitment of six forensic accountants, a digital forensic...

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I will answer the question the Deputy raised regarding the conditions that surrounded the sale of the State's stake in the studio. Ardmore Studios has been sold to Olcott Entertainment Limited. The Ardmore site is currently zoned for film industry use only and this protection is due to run for at least five more years under the Bray municipal district local area plan. As the Deputy knows,...

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: That will improve.

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: That is a matter for the film board.

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I reassure the Deputy that the current Ardmore Studios require investment, as he knows.

Other Questions: Film Industry (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: This company has purchased it and committed to investing in it. There is a great opportunity there. I am sorry I am not familiar with those particular places the Deputy is talking about. I suggest he brings it up with the Irish Film Board, which falls under the remit of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Deputy should visit Troy Studios in Limerick. The same people...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: To be clear, this was a commercial deal. It was negotiated commercially. There was a guarantee for the workers and I believe their future is secured in terms of there being investment in Ardmore Studios. I visited the studio some time ago. It badly needed investment. This is an opportunity to expand the facility there. The Deputy talks about planning permission. Both he and I know that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: It is not a case of somebody blocking zoning. The facts are, and the Deputy knows this as well as I do, that the Ardmore site is currently zoned for film industry use only. This can only be changed by a decision of the elected members of Wicklow County Council so as far as I am concerned it could not be in safer hands. Why would anybody want to rezone an area that has huge potential for an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Sale of State Assets (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The owners cannot zone anything and the Deputy and I know that. It is up to the elected members. It is zoned for film production. There is another film production centre down the road from it. I see that as offering huge potential for a cluster for the film industry. As the Deputy and I know, the amount of interest in increasing that industry is tremendous and many more people are coming...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The reason for the shortage of housing supply is that when the country experienced its worst ever recession only a few short years ago, the bottom fell out of the construction sector. The current problems in housing are part of that legacy. We have a plan to address these problems, namely, Rebuilding Ireland, and we are only 18 months into this five-year programme. After 18 months, people...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Supply and demand for credit have improved significantly since the height of the economic crisis. While the cost of credit is falling, it continues to be relatively high and it is vital that is reduced to align our rates with those in competitor countries. The divergence between interest rates for enterprise in Ireland and the rest of the euro area is particularly noticeable for loans of up...