Results 24,161-24,180 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Details of the number of complaints received by the Competition Authority and the number of active investigations are available in the Authority's Annual Report 2011 which is available on its website: www.tca.ie. A review of the staffing resources of the Authority has recently been undertaken in accordance with an EU/IMF commitment in this area to ascertain whether resourcing is sufficient...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The first quarterly Progress Report on the implementation of the Action Plan was published on 20th April, and is available on my Department's website, www.djei.ie. It shows that 80 of the 83 measures due to be delivered in the first Quarter of 2012 have been completed. The 3 measures which were not fully completed relate to: · the launch of a new Women in Business Start-Up drive; · the...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The issue of access to credit is critical to support economic growth and encourage start-ups and entrepreneurship. It is explicitly addressed in the Action Plan for Jobs in the context of the introduction of a Micro-enterprise Loan Fund, which has a significant entrepreneurship focus, the Temporary Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme, and in the range of actions listed to encourage and measure...

Written Answers — Small and Medium Enterprises: Small and Medium Enterprises (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Advisory Group's Report "The Voice of Small Business" was published in November 2011. The Report sets out the recommendations of stakeholders in the small business sector and lists the actions that they consider need to be put in place by Government to assist SMEs to cope with the current economic crisis and to position them for future growth and job creation. Thirty-four of the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Job creation is at the top of the Government's agenda. Since we came into office, we have been working hard to create the improved economic conditions which will support the maintenance of existing jobs and the creation of new ones. Our objective is to put the country back on the road to economic recovery and full employment. The Action Plan for Jobs, which I launched on 13 February,...

Written Answers — Cross-Border Enterprise Initiatives: Cross-Border Enterprise Initiatives (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: My Department has received a copy of this research, carried out for the Centre for Cross Border Studies. This interesting study proposes a new development strategy for the border region within the framework of a proposed cross-border 'Border Development Zone'. The detailed contents of this report will be considered in due course by the relevant Departments and Agencies, taking due account of...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The achievement of balanced regional growth is a core objective of Government. Promoting entrepreneurship, attracting inward investment and facilitating the key infrastructural needs of Irish enterprise across all regions is vital to ensuring a vigorous pipeline of new business leaders, new business ideas and entrepreneurial activity. The Action Plan for jobs is a whole of Government,...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The sectors referred to by the Deputy are amongst those areas identified in the Action Plan for Jobs as sectors where Ireland can realise jobs growth. The objective of the Action Plan is to support the creation of 100,000 net new jobs over the period 2012 to 2016. In general, specific targets have not been set for each of the individual sectors. The Action Plan envisages that 20,000 new...

Written Answers — Cross-Border Projects: Cross-Border Projects (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: In the context of regional and all-island economic development, and recognising the opportunity to pursue mutually beneficial cross border co-operation on aspects of economic policy and infrastructure/spatial planning, IDA Ireland cooperates on a number of initiatives with Invest Northern Ireland. Both agencies also share a strategic focus on attracting companies from the targeted sectors of...

Written Answers — Education and Training: Education and Training (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Implementation Group set up as a result of the Government Decision to establish SOLAS is made up of representatives from the Department of Education and Skills, FÁS, the Irish Vocational Education Association and the Department of Social Protection. The Group is charged with the preparation of an Action Plan and is chaired by the Minister for Training and Skills, Ciaran Cannon T.D. The...

Written Answers — Public Procurement: Public Procurement (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Public procurement affords an opportunity for SMEs to secure new business and grow employment; approximately €14 billion will be spent by public bodies this year in purchasing goods and services. The Action Plan for Jobs sets out a series of measures to improve access to public procurement for SMEs. My Department is working collaboratively with key players such as the Department of Public...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The first Progress Report on the Action Plan was published by the Government on 20th April. The report shows that 80 of the 83 measures due for delivery across the whole of Government in the first Quarter of 2012 have been implemented. Some of the key measures which have been delivered include: · The launch of the "Succeed in Ireland" initiative, aimed at delivering at least 5,000 jobs...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: When I came into office last year I identified the need to reform the State's workplace relations structures and procedures as a key priority. The problems had been well documented and the issues had been extensively reviewed over many years. The system was so complex that even practitioners had difficulty understanding and accessing it. There were, and in some cases still are, long delays...

Written Answers — Information Technology: Information Technology (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Government's Action Plan for Jobs outlines a number of actions to ensure that Ireland can reap substantial benefits in terms of jobs and growth from the global expansion of cloud computing. It recognises the opportunity for Ireland to promote the growth of cloud computing by supporting the emergence of start-up companies providing technology solutions and services in cloud computing and...

Written Answers — Credit Guarantee Scheme: Credit Guarantee Scheme (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Temporary Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme, the legislative details of which were published on 3rd April, will have the capacity to facilitate up to €150 million of additional lending to SMEs per annum through the Scheme. Calculations on the volume of additional SME borrowing proposals which would be supported by the Temporary Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme, and estimations of take up...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: My objective is to deliver a world-class Workplace Relations service and framework that serves the needs of employers and employees and provides maximum value for money. The Reform Programme will deliver a two tier Workplace Relations structure by merging the activities of the National Employment Rights Authority, the Labour Relations Commission, the Equality Tribunal and the first instance...

Written Answers — Employment Action Plan: Employment Action Plan (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Government's commitment to supporting business is evident from the range of initiatives outlined in the Action Plan for Jobs. The Plan tackles the issue of access to finance through a range of measures, such as the introduction of a microfinance fund to provide loans of up to €25,000 to micro-enterprises and the roll-out of the temporary partial credit guarantee scheme. At a most...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Government has approved the establishment of a new "one-stop-shop" micro-enterprise support structure to be achieved through the dissolution of the existing CEBs and the formation of a new network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). On foot of this Government Decision the first meeting of an Implementation Working Group will be convened shortly and the matter will also be formally...

Written Answers — Credit Guarantee Scheme: Credit Guarantee Scheme (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The costs of the Temporary Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme arise in relation to the expenditure on the guarantees paid out when loans default and the operational cost of administering the scheme. Costs will be partially offset by receipts of premiums paid by borrowers and recoveries achieved in respect of loan defaults. It is important to note that the Scheme will facilitate new lending,...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (26 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Government are fully conscious of the importance of the Financial Services sector and the opportunities represented by that sector for job creation, especially to replace jobs lost. The Action Plan for Jobs, initiated by my Department last February, assessed the sector, among others and specified a suite of actions to be undertaken this year. Work is underway on addressing these and, as...