Results 24,241-24,260 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Departmental Charges: Departmental Charges (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: I wrote to my Ministerial colleagues in March, asking them to examine all charges which are levied on business by their Departments and associated bodies, with a view to identifying which charges can be reduced, or frozen to the end of 2013 or beyond. My officials are currently preparing a composite overview of the responses from Government Departments and the bodies under their aegis. I can...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Most of the generic regulatory requirements for establishing a business are already available online. Those that are not yet available online will be examined further, in conjunction with relevant regulatory bodies, to determine their feasibility for online development. This exercise will be conducted having regard to the timeline in the Action Plan for Jobs.

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: 6153I propose to take Questions Nos. 337 and 338 together. A Community Enterprise Development Programme has been established for the maintenance or establishment of a strong business development function in the Community Enterprise Centres funded by Enterprise Ireland. The Programme is now underway with the first call for proposals closing on 9 April 2012. The preliminary stage of...

Written Answers — Trade Relations: Trade Relations (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: 1A total of 19 Ministerial-led Trade Missions are planned for 2012. To date six have been successfully completed. I myself officiated with the Taoiseach on the recent Mission to China, and also last month, Minister of State Sherlock led a Mission to Texas, USA and Minister of State Perry was in Sweden and Finland. Other Missions undertaken recently have included Minister Coveney's visit to...

Written Answers — Public Procurement: Public Procurement (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: 1The Procurement Roundtable took place on April 2nd and was attended by senior representatives from key procuring bodies that regularly tender for goods and services from the private sector. The participants included representatives from Government Departments, State agencies and some commercial State bodies, including the ESB, Born na Mona and An Post. The objectives of the Procuring...

Written Answers — Job Initiative: Job Initiative (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Quarter 1 actions in item 7.2.1 of the Action Plan for Jobs have been delivered on schedule. My colleague the Minister for Health and I have appointed the former Global Head of Life Sciences in IDA as chairman of the Project Team to deliver on the Demonstrator Project. The Project Team has already met including representatives of EI, SFI, the Department of Health and my own Department. A...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: None of the staff of my Department who had taken the early retirement package or retired due to reaching the retirement age in each year since 2005 have been or are re-employed by my Department. However, the following two former staff members are re-engaged by my Department on the following basis: - A former Assistant Secretary in this Department is serving on the NERA Advisory Board. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are the only economic development agencies for which I have responsibility who have offices outside of the island of Ireland. The tabular statements below set out the location of those offices together with the number of staff employed in each office. The total costs associated with the running of both IDA Ireland's and Enterprise Ireland's overseas offices...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: I wish to inform the Deputy that there is no record of a Permit application being received in my Department in respect of the above named. The Department of Justice and Equality determines the immigration status of persons within the State. A student on an Immigration Stamp 2, issued by the Department of Justice and Equality, is permitted to remain in Ireland to pursue a course of studies and...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: In the period 2006 – 2011 there have been 156 new enterprises established in this country under the auspices of IDA Ireland providing almost 5,000 new jobs. This figure is broken down on a county by county, year by year basis in the tabular statement below. IDA Ireland is the agency charged with the attraction of foreign direct investment to this country and its regions. At present there...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Details of the number of site visits by potential investors to locations in Ireland on a county by county basis in each of the years 2006 to 2011 is set out in the tabular statement below. One of the high level goals in IDA's Strategy "Horizon 2020" is a commitment that by 2014, 50% of all Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will be located outside of Dublin and Cork. The global economy and in...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: None of the staff of my Department who had taken the early retirement package or otherwise are back on the payroll of my Department.

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: When I came into office last year I identified that people wishing to vindicate their equality and employment rights in the workplace were experiencing serious problems including long delays in having their complaints adjudicated. 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...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: I am considering the issue of whether a fee for making a complaint or appeal to the new Workplace Relations bodies, which will be established as part of the reform process, should be introduced. However, I have made no decision in this regard yet. I recently published a Blueprint which sets out, in considerable detail, how reform of the workplace relations structures and processes will be...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The issue of how best to deal with the equal status function of the Equality Tribunal on foot of the reform of the Workplace Relations bodies is under active consideration. Officials of my Department are in discussion with the Officials of the Department of Justice and Equality together with other interested parties in relation to the matter. My Colleague, the Minister for Justice and...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: The question of internship schemes for young graduates is a day to day matter for the agencies. I have referred the question to the agencies for direct response to the Deputy.

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: In December 2011, the European Commission launched a "Youth Opportunities Initiative" in response to the growing problem of youth unemployment across the EU. The Commission's communique of 20 December 2011 set out a number of actions which will be financed directly by the Commission as part of the Initiative. These include measures to be supported by the European Social Fund and by the...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: 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 skills, expertise or qualifications which cannot be filled elsewise. Furthermore, employment permits are only considered...

Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: I am advised by the Department of Finance that it is not possible to provide details of taxes forgone in respect of a particular age cohort, as all individuals under 65 years of age in the same circumstances are taxed at the same rate. It has previously been estimated that each person who is unemployed costs the State approximately €20,000 per annum in terms of social welfare payments and...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Apr 2012)

Richard Bruton: Since the transfer of FÁS and its functions under the previous Government, my Department has had no direct involvement in the setting up of SOLAS or of the National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES). Primary responsibility for these bodies now comes within the remit respectively of my colleagues the Minister for Education and Skills and, the Minister for Social Protection....