Results 23,901-23,920 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Finian McGrath spoke a moment ago.

Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012: Order for Second Stage (27 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I welcome this opportunity to present the Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012 to the House. The Bill is one of the key targeted initiatives in the Government's action plan for jobs 2012 to address access to credit and support lending to microenterprises, which are the most vulnerable cohort of our SME sector. I believe it will prove to be a...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (26 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that this Work Permit application was refused on the 10th April 2012 on the grounds that it is current Government policy to issue new employment permits only in respect of: · highly skilled, highly paid positions or; · non-EEA nationals who are already legally resident in the State on valid employment permits or; · positions requiring specialist or...

Written Answers — Consumers Association of Ireland: Consumers Association of Ireland (26 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) is a non-government, independent and non-profit organisation. The Association, which is a registered charity, is mainly funded by subscriptions from its members and by the sale of its magazine Consumer Choice . My Department has previously provided funding to the Association to support appropriate projects to assist in enhancing the Association's...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (26 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 255, 257 and 259 together. Currently, my Department has two staff in the redeployment pool and there are no further staff waiting to be redeployed. Since the beginning of 2011, nineteen staff transferred out of my Department on redeployment. The maximum period of time that a staff member has been waiting for redeployment was approximately two months. The...

Written Answers — Electrical Registered Employment Agreements: Electrical Registered Employment Agreements (26 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I have no statutory remit concerning this body. EPACE is a non-statutory private limited company comprising employer and trade union representatives from the electrical sector. I understand that the primary objective of EPACE is to advise Electrical Contractors operating in the State of their responsibilities under the Electrical Registered Employment Agreement (REA) and to seek compliance...

Written Answers — Community Enterprise Centres: Community Enterprise Centres (26 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I recognize the importance of a business development function within community enterprise centres and I recently announced funding to support the appointment of Business Development Managers to 37 community enterprise centres as part of a €2m Programme managed by Enterprise Ireland. This announcement follows on from a Government commitment under Action Point 2.5 of the Action Plan for Jobs...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (26 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I have listed the number of staff who have retired from my Department in the years 2009 to date and the total gratuity payments made to retiring staff in each of those years. Year No of Staff Retired Total Gratuity paid 2009 73 *€3,400,129 2010 28 *€1,674,457 2011 27 *€2,546,808 2012 44 *€4,354,672 *Includes 90 % Lump Sum payments for retirees under Incentivised Scheme of...

Written Answers — Consumer Association of Ireland: Consumer Association of Ireland (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 to 61, inclusive, together. The Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) is a non-government, independent and non-profit organisation. The Association, which is a registered charity, is mainly funded by subscriptions from its members and by the sale of its magazine Consumer Choice. The position regarding funding from my Department for the years 2007-2012 is...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 implemented EU Council Directive 97/81/EC into Irish law. The purpose of the Directive was to implement the Framework Agreement on part-time work concluded by the European cross-industry organisations UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC. The purpose of the Framework Agreement, which was annexed to the Directive, was to eliminate discrimination...

Written Answers — Action Plan for Jobs: Action Plan for Jobs (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Action Plan for Jobs contains over 270 actions to be implemented by all 15 Government Departments as well as 36 State agencies, and is intended to improve supports for job-creating businesses and remove barriers to employment-creation across the economy. The Plan aims to deliver the Taoiseach's commitment to make Ireland the best small country in the world in which to do business, and...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I have not directly received a proposal from Dunhill Rural Enterprises Ltd., but I understand that the organisation has developed a model for the creation of jobs in small local communities through the establishment of networks of micro-enterprises. Given the scale of our unemployment problem, I believe that all sectors of society have a role to play in addressing job creation in the economy...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 66 together. The Industrial Relations (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2011 was published on 22 December 2011. The Bill completed Second Stage in the Dáil on 19 January 2012 and Committee Stage on Tuesday last, June 19th. It is expected that the legislation will complete its passage through the Oireachtas before the Summer recess. When enacted, this Bill...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: My officials advise me that this Work Permit application was refused on the 15th December 2011 on the grounds that it is current Government policy to issue new employment permits only in respect of: · highly skilled, highly paid positions or; · non-EEA nationals who are already legally resident in the State on valid employment permits or; · positions requiring specialist or scarce...

Written Answers — Illness Benefit: Illness Benefit (21 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: Earlier this year, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, who has policy responsibility for the Illness Benefit scheme, held a consultative meeting to discuss potential changes to the scheme in Ireland. Representatives from my Department and Forfás attended this forum, along with a number of business representative organisations. A Staff Report on Ireland's economic...

Written Answers — Competition Authority: Competition Authority (20 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: Section 29 (3) of the Competition Act 2002 provides that the Competition Authority is independent in the performance of its functions. Under section 30(1)(b) of that Act, the Competition Authority is responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the Act. As investigations and enforcement matters generally are part of the day-to-day operational work of the Authority, I have no direct...

Written Answers — Trade Union Recognition: Trade Union Recognition (19 Jun 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 conformity with the provisions of ILO Convention No. 98 - Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949. The complaint involved...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (19 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Company Law Review Group (CLRG) 2009 Report examined the issue of extending audit exemption to companies limited by guarantee (CLG). It made the following recommendations: (i) Subject in each case to consultation with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the charities regulator, the audit exemption regime contained in Part III of the 1999 (No. 2) Act be extended to...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (19 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Department has recently developed two new websites – www.enterprise.gov.ie. and www.businessregulation.ie. The former, www.enterprise.gov.ie, will replace the Department's existing website which has remained substantially unchanged for over ten years. Infrastructure, including a content management system, is shared between the two websites. The latter, www.businessregulation.ie, brings...