Results 24,441-24,460 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: It has been obvious for some time that our economy is undergoing fundamental change and this process has been taking place in both the manufacturing and services sectors. We have become a modern enterprise and service oriented economy. It is fair to say that our strength and competitive advantages, especially compared with low wage economies has inexorably changed. Ireland has now moved into...
- Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: The past 12 months have been difficult for our enterprise sector, particularly from an employment perspective. We have one of the most open economies in the world and trends in world trade, global business investment and consumer decisions will directly influence trends in Irish economic growth, company development and job prospects more so than in other developed economies. The fact that the...
- Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: A total of â¬837 million has been provided by my Department to FÃS in 2004. Of this, â¬366 million is allocated to employment programmes, â¬307 million to training and integration supports and â¬22.7 million for capital expenditure. The allocation to employment programmes includes an amount of â¬351 million, which will support up to 25,000 places across the three major employment...
- Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I regret very much recent job losses in County Kerry including the Sports Socks Company's plants in Cahirciveen and Tralee, and Rosenbluth in Killarney, and I am conscious of the adverse effects on the workers and their families. Finding alternative employment for the workers affected is a priority for FÃS and the State development agencies. FÃS is making available its full range of support...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: My Department spent a total of â¬185,692 on media advertising for 2002, of which â¬141,340 was spent on advertising in the national papers and â¬6,535 was spent on advertising in provincial papers. The remainder of â¬37,817 was spent on such areas as statutory advertising, the Department's entry in the Eircom phone book as well as photography and exhibition materials. In addition, a...
- Job Losses. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I regret very much recent job losses in County Kerry, including the Sports Socks Company's plants in Cahirciveen and Tralee, and Rosenbluth in Killarney, and I am conscious of the adverse effects on the workers, their families and the local community. Finding alternative employment for the workers affected is a priority for FÃS and the State development agencies. FÃS is making available its...
- Job Losses. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I appreciate Deputy Deenihan's invitation to Kerry. It is always a great pleasure to visit the county and I will be visiting it shortly on an extensive visit. Notwithstanding the disappointing news about the companies we mentioned, there are companies expanding in the Kerry area. The live register is up 147 year on year but there are also a substantial number of immigrant workers in many of...
- Job Losses. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: If any visit of mine to Kerry or anywhere else can generate employment, I will be willing to make such visits to any county. The IDA had five site visits to Kerry North in 2003. The support of Enterprise Ireland was for the expansion of FEXCO. In addition, FÃS has about 1,500 people in either apprenticeships or training programmes in Kerry, which represents a considerable resource. Many of...
- Consumer Protection. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I am increasingly disturbed by stories of rip-off Ireland and the time has come for some radical new thinking in terms of our approach to consumer issues. My key objectives are to put in place the structures and mechanisms which will promote effective competition in consumer markets, which will encourage the active participation of consumers at all levels of economic, political and social...
- Consumer Protection. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: There is no question of a quango. A consumer advisory group involving 33 different personalities was established by my predecessor. Many of the 33 people represent the regulators or the producers. In many other countries, the consumer lobby has grown organically in society. Unfortunately, that has not happened here. The intention is to replicate what happened in insurance with the Motor...
- Consumer Protection. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: There is a need to do both. Obviously the role of the director is to enforce the law. She has made some valuable suggestions in the area of more display orders for the medical profession, dentists and doctors. From time to time the Director of Consumer Affairs makes her opinions available to me and obviously we act on them in most cases. The role of that office is to enforce the law and to...
- Insurance Industry. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: The insurance reform programme that I announced on 25 October 2002 comprises a comprehensive set of inter-related measures designed to improve the functioning of the insurance market. I chair a ministerial committee established to drive the co-ordinated implementation of this reform programme across the relevant Departments and other bodies concerned. Substantial progress is being made on a...
- Insurance Industry. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I have concentrated on the implementation of the recommendations which would reduce price, such as the establishment of the PIAB, the introduction by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform of the court and civil liability Bill, which was cleared at Cabinet today, and the introduction of the penalty points system and other road safety measures. We have concentrated on the areas...
- Insurance Industry. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I cannot put a figure on it but it should be quite substantial. If the decrease was 11% from 2002 to 2003, I expect it to be greater this year because the impact of the measures implemented is only now coming through. With regard to motor insurance, anecdotal as opposed to hard evidence suggests there are reductions in some cases of 40% to 50%. Nevertheless, while that is the evidence...
- Insurance Industry. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: The chief executive of the PIAB was appointed and took up her position on 2 February last. The IT system and headquarters have been secured and the chief executive is now in the process of recruiting the staff required to assist her in the task. I met with her only last week and she is anxious to ensure that everything is in order before the board opens for business, given the importance of...
- Price Controls. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: The best way of ensuring that markets for any goods or services are delivering value for money to consumers is through increased competition and greater consumer vigilance. That is the objective towards which all our policy interventions in the field of competition and consumer policy are directed. Certainly, I have no plans to return to the days of official price control. Regulatory action...
- Price Controls. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I do not envisage a situation where there will be someone from the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs to police the Act outside every pub on New Year's Eve or other times of celebration.
- Price Controls. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: It is not sensible. I know of no country where price control works. On the contrary, those that have the most free markets are those where prices are most competitive. Not every pub in Ireland charged â¬12 for a drink, so people had a choice to go into a place that charged â¬12 or a place that did not. There is only so much one can do for a consumer. If a facility has decided it can rip...
- Price Controls. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: I am not an expert on licensing law but, given that we do not have price controls, if publicans wish to charge a fee of this kind, I presume they are free to do so, although I am not certain of the licensing implications. Licensing relates to a person's suitability to have a licence, police it and enforce the criminal law and opening times. It does not refer to pricing. It is wrong to say...
- Price Controls. (10 Feb 2004)
Mary Harney: The Deputy has proved my point.