Results 22,641-22,660 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (21 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for bringing this business idea to my attention. My Department has had previous contacts with the Deputy's correspondent on this issue. Enterprise Ireland has a broad system of financial and non-financial supports in place to assist clients through all stages of the business development cycle. My Department has provided the Deputy's correspondent in this matter with the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Traveller Community Issues (21 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Department for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has no remit with regard to the provision of formal education/qualifications or labour market activation measures. Responsibility for these policy instruments rest with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Social Protection respectively. I understand my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality and the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies Law Issues (21 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 391, 393 and 395 together. The following Table sets out the information sought by the Deputy: Total no. of six monthly abstracts filed in 2012 in respect of companies in receivership Total no. delivered later than the statutory deadline 2102 1543 The CRO is the central repository of public statutory information on Irish companies and business names. The...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies Law Issues (21 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 392 and 394 together. The Companies Acts set out the powers and duties of receivers. There is an obligation on receivers to comply with the legislative provisions applicable to them. Sections 319 and 321 of the Companies Act 1963 provide that a receiver must send to the Registrar of Companies an abstract detailing the assets of the company of which he has...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: State Bodies Accounts (21 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: There is no statutory obligation on the Registrar of Companies to prepare an annual report. However, the Registrar does prepare such a report and this is laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas, in conjunction with the annual statutory companies report, prepared by my Department. Both reports for 2012 are currently being translated into Irish and, following consideration by Government, will...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Relations (16 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: The overarching theme of the Irish Presidency is the contribution of trade to growth, jobs and economic recovery; consequently I attach great importance to promoting the EU’s external trade agenda for the benefit of Irish exporters. Trade policy is an essential component of the EU’s growth compact. Expanding trade is also essential to job creation: About 30 million jobs in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Agencies Expenditure (16 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: Procurement issues are a day-to-day matter for the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). However, I have been advised by the NSAI that its procurement policy complies with competitive tendering requirements, as outlined in the Public Procurement Guidelines Competitive Process (2004), State Bodies Guidelines and EU Regulations. NSAI use sub-contractors on a limited basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Registered Employment Agreements (16 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: In the judgement delivered on 9 May last in McGowan and others v The Labour Court, Ireland and the Attorney General, the Supreme Court held that Part III of the Industrial Relations Act 1946 was invalid having regard to Article 15.2.1 of the Constitution. That Article provides, in effect, that the exclusive power to make laws is vested in the Oireachtas. The Supreme Court took the view that...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (15 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: As trade negotiations are a matter of EU competence, Ireland's involvement in trade negotiations is as an active contributor to overall EU policy. The overarching theme of the Irish Presidency is the contribution of trade to growth, jobs and economic recovery; consequently I attach great importance to promoting the EU's external trade agenda. Increasing trade is one of the few ways to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (15 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: On foot of the job losses announced by the Talk Talk company in Waterford in September 2011, I asked the agencies and stakeholders in the South East region with coming up with a set of actions to address the long-standing unemployment problem in Waterford and the region generally. The specific recommendations contained in the South East Employment Action Plan, produced by Forfas, are being...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (15 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: My Department through Enterprise Ireland has, in the past, approved funding towards Community Enterprise Centres in Dublin, including centres at Ballymun, Coolock and Darndale. I am informed by Enterprise Ireland that based on the most recent information that the agency has on occupancy rates that Darndale is at full occupancy, while Coolock and Ballymun are at 75% occupancy. However,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Expenditure (15 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department are currently compiling the information sought by the Deputy. However, in the time available since this Question was tabled, my Department has not been able to collect the information requested by the Deputy. Once the available information is collated, I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy.

Topical Issue Debate: Registered Employment Agreements (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: I can give an assurance to Deputies Cowen and Collins that existing contracts remain and can only be altered by agreement. The fact that the REAs have been struck down, therefore, does not alter the contract an individual has with his or her employer. The same applied when the EROs were struck down - the contracts remained and the record will show there was no wholesale cutting of wages as...

Topical Issue Debate: Registered Employment Agreements (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputies Joan Collins and Barry Cowen for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to respond. An employment agreement is an agreement governing conditions of employment, made between a trade union and an employer or employer organisation. Such agreements may be presented to the Labour Court for registration. Where the Labour Court is satisfied that the agreement...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Health and Safety Inspections (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which comes under the remit of my Department, conducts routine inspections of petrol stations storing "petroleum spirits" under the Dangerous Substances Act 1972 and the Dangerous Substances (Retail and Private Petroleum Stores) Regulations 1979 as amended, and also under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and associated Regulations. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2007 apply to all employees, subject to the exceptions set out in section 2 of the 1977 Act (as amended). Therefore, parliamentary staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas who meet the criteria of the Unfair Dismissals Acts are covered by the protections of the Acts. The Acts protect employees from being unfairly dismissed by laying down criteria by which the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: The recent MRCI Report on au pairs, which is referenced by the Deputy, expresses concern that au pairs are being used as a cheap form of child care, and highlights the lack of regulation of the industry. Issues regarding childcare fall within the remit of my colleague Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Issues regarding employment rights fall within my remit....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pensions Reform (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Department of Social Protection, by way of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011, provided for the discontinuation of the State Pension (Transition) from January 2014 which eligible individuals currently receive for a maximum of one year between ages 65 and 66. This means that there will be a standard State Pension age of 66 years for everyone from 1 January 2014. The 2011 Act also...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition Authority Funding (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with section 41 subsection (6) of the Competition Act 2002, I will arrange for a copy of the Competition Authority's annual accounts, along with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on those accounts, to be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas when both are finalised and available to me.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Youth Enterprise Initiatives (14 May 2013)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with the Government decision of November 2012, Shannon Development is being merged with Shannon Airport to form a new entity with a commercial mandate in public ownership. Kerry Technology Park, Tralee, Co Kerry is currently owned and managed by Shannon Development, in collaboration with Tralee Institute of Technology. The Young Entrepreneur Programme (YEP), which is provided...