Results 23,661-23,680 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: In 2010, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (and IMPACT acting on behalf of their airline pilot members in Ryanair) submitted a complaint to the Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organisation that Ireland was not, in several respects, in conformity with the provisions of ILO Convention No. 98 - Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949. In...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Agencies Issues (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: The draft heads of the Consumer and Competition Bill which provides, inter alia , for the merger of the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority were approved by Government in July 2011. The heads are currently with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting and I expect to publish the Bill later this year.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Recruitment (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: My Department as a public service employer has a legal obligation under the Disability Act 2005 to report each year on the number and percentage of employees with disabilities. In order to build an accurate record of the number of staff with disabilities, in accordance with the legal definition in the 2005 Act, every employee, whether or not they have any impairment or disability, is asked to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Provision (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: As part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs 2012, Enterprise Ireland’s new Potential Exporters Division provides a wide range of initiatives focussed on helping companies export more. The ‘Get Export Ready’ programme includes practical measures for early exporters focusing on export readiness, the importance of research, developing a value proposition and the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Provision (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: A key focus of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is the commitment to increase the number of new High Potential Start-up companies approved annually from 73 in 2009 to 100 in 2013. To contribute to achieving this objective, Enterprise Ireland launched a new competitive programme called the “Competitive Start Fund” in December 2010. The purpose of the Competitive Start Fund...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act was enacted on 16th May, 2012. I notified employers in a national information notice in December, 2011 in relation to the retrospective provision in the Act. Officials in my Department have met with various stakeholders whose members would be affected by the legislation to consult with and inform them about the legislation. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Company Closures (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: Company closures, no matter when or how they occur, are always matters of concern to Government and the statistics raised by the Deputy are a matter of real concern. Vision Net notes that, “8,184 companies were registered in Ireland in the first seven months of 2012. However, company closures are up 6% on this figure (8,664) essentially meaning a contraction in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permit Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: The issue raised by the High Court judgement is one which has important policy and legal implications in the area of Employment Permits and also in terms of Employment Rights. As Justice Hogan noted in his judgement, “the Oireachtas must, of course, regulate the labour market by specifically deterring illegal immigrants from taking up employment, as failure to do so could have...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Government is tackling unemployment generally through the twin strategies of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. The aim of the Action Pan for Jobs is to support the creation of 100,000 net new jobs by 2016, while the objective of Pathways to Work is to provide those who are unemployed with the appropriate training and skills to avail of the job opportunities which will arise...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Provision (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: State assistance for microenterprises in Ireland is currently delivered by the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) network. The County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) provide a range of grants to eligible micro-enterprises, which can cover all business costs directly attributable to growing and developing a business, as well as training and one-to-one mentoring initiatives to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Training (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: My Department supports the development of staff to better serve the business needs of the Department through direct provision of training courses, support for staff studying business relevant academic courses primarily in their own time, and supporting attendance at relevant seminars and conferences. Details of expenditure on education and training in 2011 and in 2012 (to end April) are...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Consumer Protection (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: Article 19 of Directive 2011/83/EU on Consumer Rights seeks to prevent businesses from imposing excessive payment charges. It provides that: Member States shall prohibit traders from charging consumers in respect of the use of a given means of payment fees that exceed the cost borne by the trader for the use of such means. While Member States are required to transpose the Directive...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: I am aware that the UK is considering a “mini-jobs” model, similar to that which has been in operation in Germany for the past number of years, which allows people to earn up to a certain limit each month without paying tax or social insurance. There are differing views on the merits of such a model, including the prospect of full-time jobs being split into several...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Fuel Prices (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Irish oil industry is fully privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is no price control on liquid fuel products in Ireland. The price of fuel is dictated by global factors and reflects global market price (traded in dollars), Euro/Dollar fluctuations, refining costs, transportation costs, other operating costs, prevailing Excise Duty and VAT. Recent increases in prices may...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights Issues (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: Once a Rights Commissioner Decision has issued, the Labour Relations Commission has no further function in the matter. Under the Unfair Dismissals Acts, where an employer has not implemented the Decision of the Rights Commissioner, and no appeal has been lodged within the specified time (i.e. six weeks from the date of the Decision) the claimant, or the claimant’s trade union on...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Appointments to State Boards (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 622 together. The number and proportional representation of males and females on State Boards under the aegis of my Department for the last ten years is presented in the schedule that follows this reply. It should be noted that some agencies were not in existence for some of the ten year period. While details of the composition of the Board of FAS...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Health and Safety Regulations (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations employers are responsible for ensuring the safety of equipment used at their place of work or by their employees while at work. As part of that responsibility employers must ensure that portable equipment which is exposed to conditions likely to cause deterioration and consequent danger, and is supplied at a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition Authority Investigations (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Competition Authority is the independent statutory body responsible for merger and acquisition control in the State and apart from a role in relation to media mergers I, as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, have no direct function in relation to merger and acquisition matters under the Competition Act 2002. I am aware however of the proposed acquisition and I understand that...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Funding (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: An annual grant is paid to assist the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in meeting the cost of providing its Education, Training and Advisory Services (ETAS). The grant assists Congress in the area of policy development, the provision of education and training supports to union officials and members, and advice to affiliated unions on particular issues. The ETAS supports a diverse range of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: State Bodies Establishment (18 Sep 2012)

Richard Bruton: No State bodies have been set up by my Department since 9 March 2011.