Results 23,101-23,120 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together. The recent closures of HMV and the Old Darnley Lodge are very regrettable. My thoughts are with those directly affected, the workers and their families and the wider local communities. Their concerns about the future of their jobs and the payment of money owed to them by their employers are of paramount importance. There is a body of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: Action Plan for Jobs is designed to deliver measures right across Government to protect existing jobs and support the creation of new ones. It is a key instrument in our objective to transform the economy from one that became over-dependent on property, construction and debt to one focused on enterprise, innovation and exports. Because it involves a very large number of actions across...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes in respect of the Presidency. It is an ambitious programme. Yesterday, the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, and I attended a number of committee meetings and the size of the operation is formidable. I assure him that Action Plan for Jobs has initiated a change in the way Departments work and this can be seen throughout Departments. The Department...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I assure the Deputy this will be included in the 2013 programme. We have been working on reform of the work permits system. We will have legislation in the new term and we plan to make it much more accessible in order that where there are skills shortages, there will be a speedy and easy response and people will have certainty in respect of how the system works. I am confident that I will...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Industrial Development (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for his contribution. The IDA has already met with Meath County Council and will continue to build a relationship in the county.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Industrial Development (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising the issue. Meath is part of IDA Ireland's eastern region, which includes Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath, and overall, the region has performed extremely well. There has been increased employment in the past two years totalling 6,000 jobs, compared with a net job loss in the previous four years of 7,000. There has been a dramatic turnaround in the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Retail Sector (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Government recognises the importance of the retail sector to Ireland’s economy. It is employment-intensive, and covers every community in the country. The combined wholesale and retail sector employs almost 273,000 people in Ireland – that is almost 15% of our total workforce. In recognising the importance of the sector to the economy, the 2012 Action Plan for Jobs...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 44 and 54 together. I very much share the concern of the Deputies in relation to the company concerned and particularly as regards the position of the employees in the company’s Irish stores who have been understandably apprehensive about the future of their jobs and the payment of monies owed to them by their employer. I understand that this...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: The entire focus of the Action Plan for Jobs is on protecting existing jobs and supporting the creation of new ones. This is the most effective strategy to address the risk of emigration. It is designed to achieve a transition from an economy which became dependent on activities that were unsustainable and where over 300,000 jobs had been lost in the three years prior to March 2011. The...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Protection (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: As Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, I regret any job losses. It is an unfortunate reality that businesses can find themselves in difficulty for a wide range of reasons. If my Department becomes aware of a potential company closure in advance, or if the business at risk is a client of one of my Department’s agencies, the Department or agency will do everything within...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Regulation (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: Reducing costs for business is a central theme within the Action Plan for Jobs. The Action Plan includes an extensive range of measures across Government which will help to reduce costs for business generally and support job creation. My Department and Agencies have undertaken several initiatives to support this objective, including: - Reforming the statutory wage setting mechanisms; -...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Production (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 37 together. Many indicators are used to measure industrial output and the performance of the manufacturing sector generally. For a rounded view, it is necessary to look beyond a single set of statistics; rather one should seek an assessment of all relevant indicators for that sector, in particular, output, purchases, exports and employment. In...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: IDA Ireland’s primary responsibility is to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and to grow and expand existing FDI companies in Ireland in the face of strong international competition. As Ireland is no longer a low cost labour location, IDA Ireland is now targeting companies involved in more knowledge based activities that are driven by technology and innovation,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 29 together. Microfinance Ireland (MFI) opened for business on Monday 1st October 2012. At this stage, the number of applications received as of Monday 21st January is 70, and a further 51 are in the pipeline with those applicants receiving assistance from the County Enterprise Boards. Loans of up to €25,000 are available to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Availability (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Credit Review Office (CRO) was established in March 2010 by the then Minister for Finance. The Credit Review Office mandate is to ensure that viable SMEs have access to credit from the pillar banks, by reviewing banks’ decisions to refuse or reduce credit facilities. In that context, the outcomes of the appeals that the CRO undertake are collated into a regular report for the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Action Plan for Jobs is a multi-annual process which has the objective of supporting the creation of 100,000 new jobs in the economy by 2016 and making Ireland the best small country in which to do business. The 2012 Action Plan represented the start of the process and I am currently finalising the 2013 Action Plan for Jobs on behalf of the Government. The 2013 Action Plan will once...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 39 together. Supporting new and existing indigenous and foreign-owned businesses, across all regions, is central to our plans for recovery, growth and jobs. The Government is addressing job creation and retention through the twin strategies of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. The aim of the Action Plan for Jobs is to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Aid (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 48 together. The process of Member States agreeing the 2014-2021 Regional Aid Guidelines is underway and initial multilateral discussions between Member States and the Commission, which has responsibility for the Regional Aid Guidelines, have taken place. The initiative is Commission led, and my Department is actively engaged in this process and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Professional Fees (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: Under the 2012 Action Plan on Jobs, with a view to increasing price transparency by encouraging all professionals (accounting, taxation, legal etc.) supplying the business sector and consumers to provide price quotations in advance, the National Consumer Agency was tasked with carrying out the following actions: - Conducting market research and liaising with business representative groups to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee Scheme (24 Jan 2013)

Richard Bruton: The Credit Guarantee Scheme went live on Wednesday 24th October. At this stage, the number of approved guarantees on Tuesday 22nd January is 10, which amounts to total credit facilities of €1,117,000 being provided to companies who otherwise could not avail of bank credit. Bank of Ireland, AIB and Ulster Bank are participating in the Scheme. The scheme has been designed to address...