Results 22,321-22,340 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: In 2016, Ardmore Studios International Limited, ASIL, engaged IBI Corporate Finance to investigate selling the company as a going concern. ASIL, the majority shareholders in Ardmore Studios Limited, were seeking to exit, having been running the company for more than 30 years. An extensive process was undertaken by IBI Corporate Finance to find a suitable buyer, with more than 100 potential...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Expenditure (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I have a range of different supports available through the different agencies to support businesses to prepare for Brexit and help them mitigate the impact of Brexit on their businesses. The Department secured an additional €3 million in current funding and €5 million in capital funding in 2018, increasing the record capital allocation in 2017. The additional €3...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Expenditure (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I recently launched a brochure which outlines all the different supports we are providing to businesses through the agencies and directly. I recently announced the €300 million Brexit loan scheme. Bord Bia, the Health and Safety Authority and a whole list of agencies are supporting people on Brexit. It is a very short document and is on the Department's website. I believe I also...

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

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. Despite intense competition, Ireland’s competitiveness performance remains positive. Ireland moved from 16th in 2015 to sixth in 2017 in the Institute for Management Development World Competitiveness Yearbook. In addition, the World Bank’s most recent Doing Business 2018 report shows Ireland is now ranked 17th out of 190 countries,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corporate Governance (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, ODCE, has played and continues to play a key role in facilitating compliance and enforcement of company law. The ODCE 2016 annual report points to a number of key success during the year. Following the scrutiny of reports submitted to the office by liquidators of insolvent companies, 90 company directors were restricted and a further 11...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corporate Governance (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: It is important to say that this matter is before the courts. We need to respect that ongoing process. I am bearing that in mind with regard to what I say here. I am very confident in regard to the work done by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. It is an independent agency and it acts independently of my Department. It is the function of my Department to provide the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Expenditure (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am confident the enterprise agencies under my Department's remit have the necessary support and financial resources to enable them to address the challenges of Brexit and to capitalise on any opportunities it presents. IDA Ireland was allocated an additional €700,000 as part of budget 2018 to further reinforce the €750,000...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corporate Governance (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I want to begin by congratulating Deputy Billy Kelleher on his appointment as spokesperson for business, enterprise and innovation and I look forward to working with him. I do not have a monopoly on good ideas and I am happy to work closely with Deputy Kelleher, as I do with my other colleagues, in doing everything we can to create and sustain jobs and to support enterprise. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The Brexit Loan Scheme was launched on 28 March 2018. The scheme leverages €23 million exchequer funding (€14 million from my Department and €9 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) using a guarantee structure to provide a €300 million fund for lending to eligible businesses. Participating finance providers are Bank of Ireland and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The Brexit Loan Scheme provides affordable working capital to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees that are or will be Brexit impacted and meet the scheme criteria. The €23 million exchequer funding (€14 million from my Department and €9 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) has been leveraged to provide a fund of up to €300...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I fully appreciate the importance of ensuring that businesses, including those located in Donegal, are best able to withstand the pressures that Brexit may exert. That is why, for example, additional financial resources have been provided to support the strategic response by our enterprise agencies, including IDA Ireland, to Brexit. The Government has also taken forward a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Military Exports (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is responsible for controls on the export of military and dual-use items from Ireland. All export licence applications, whether for Dual-Use or Military Goods are subject to rigorous scrutiny, and are considered having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No. 428/2009, the 2008 EU Common Position on Arms Exports and EU sanctions regimes. My officials are in regular...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Missions (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Enterprise Ireland is the state agency under my aegis with responsibility for helping Irish companies to internationalise and scale. The manufacturing and internationally traded services companies that Enterprise Ireland works with are a critical source of existing employment and job creation in every county in Ireland and are spread across a wide range of sectors. Enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: My Department recognises the key role that innovation has played in Ireland’s economic recovery to date. It contributes significantly to job creation, exports and investment, and the competitiveness of the indigenous enterprise base, and also to embedding the foreign direct investment base in Ireland. It is clear that a strong interdependence exists therefore between science,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Action Plan for Jobs (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Since becoming Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I have made jobs and enterprise in the regions my top priority. The Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin. A key objective of each of the 8 regional plans is to have a further 10 to 15 per...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Action Plan for Jobs (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Since becoming Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I have made jobs and enterprise in the regions my top priority. The Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin. A key objective of each of the 8 regional plans is to have a further 10 to 15 per...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ticket Touting (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Since receipt of the submissions to the public consultation on the resale of tickets, officials of my Department have engaged in follow-up discussions with sporting bodies, event promoters, consumer bodies, primary ticketing service providers and secondary ticket marketplaces. My officials have also liaised with public authorities in EU and EFTA member states with laws that prohibit or...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The Department has undertaken significant research and consultation to better understand the challenges posed by Brexit for businesses in Ireland, and based on this work has designed a suite of supports for impacted businesses. I recently launched a €300 million Brexit Loan Scheme.  This scheme is designed to assist eligible businesses exposed to negative impacts resulting from...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development Funding (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) 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 support the ambition, goals, and implementation of the Regional Action Plans for Jobs. The REDF is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Data (18 Apr 2018)

Heather Humphreys: IDA Ireland’s primary regional development goal, as set out in its current strategy, is to increase investment by 30% to 40% in every region of Ireland. Real progress has been made towards that target over the first three years of this strategy, with half of all jobs created by IDA client companies since 2015 based outside Dublin. Site visits do represent an important...