Results 2,521-2,540 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Programme (16 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Construction Contracts Act, 2013 will apply to certain construction contracts entered into after the 25th July 2016 in accordance with Statutory Instrument No. 165 of 2016 entitled 'Construction Contracts Act, 2013 (Appointed Day) Order 2016'. The Act provides, subject to some exceptions, new minimum contractual provisions concerning payment arrangements between the parties to a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Prompt Payments (16 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Prompt Payment of invoices is critical to the effective working of any economy and is an issue on which this Government places great emphasis. Late payment is particularly damaging for small and medium-sized businesses, where any disruption to cash flow can mean the difference between solvency and bankruptcy. My Department promotes improved payment practices and monitors on a quarterly...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (16 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In launching the Action Plan for Jobs Regional initiative in 2015, the Government announced that all eight regional Action Plans will be supported by investment of up to €250 million over the period to 2020, including €150 million for a property investment programme by IDA Ireland. A further sum of up to €100 million will be made available over the period through...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Low Pay Commission Expenditure (16 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The budget for the Low Pay Commission is €474,000 for 2016. This is broken down into pay and non-pay elements. The pay budget is €244,000 and covers salaries for the secretariat and members’ fees. The non-pay budget of €230,000 covers research and administration costs. The secretariat currently has its full designated staffing complement (three staff are...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Properties (16 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Accommodation for my Department is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by OPW on our behalf. Therefore, my Department does not directly own or lease any property. Any property that is leased by Agencies of my Department is a matter for the individual Agencies concerned for which I have no direct function. However, I have asked...

Other Questions: Regional Development Initiatives (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The economic crisis hit job numbers in the south east badly with the loss of 37,800 jobs between 2007 and 2012. There has been a focused, collaborative approach and a range of reforms have been delivered in the region over recent years. The unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of 20.1% in 2012 to 12.5% in early 2016. Some 204,400 people are at work in the south east, an increase of...

Other Questions: Regional Development Initiatives (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Deputy Cullinane raised the issue earlier today here. There is a plan. The IDA has 71 client companies in the region employing 12,000 and has recently launched a strategy, Winning: Foreign Direct Investment 2015-2019. The IDA positions the south east in the marketplace as an investment location with a strong ecosystem of indigenous and multinational companies operating across a diverse...

Other Questions: Regional Development Initiatives (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I can furnish the Deputy with the answer.

Other Questions: Research Funding (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Sorry, is this Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív's question?

Other Questions: Job Creation Targets (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: A Programme for a Partnership Government sets a target of creating an additional 200,000 jobs by 2020, of which 135,000 jobs are to be created outside Dublin. I am convinced that we can achieve these targets. Since 2012, the unemployment rate reduced from 15.1% to 7.8% in May this year. We have 155,000 extra people at work since 2012 and employment is growing in every region. My focus...

Other Questions: Job Creation Targets (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy asked about the types of job created. As a Minister and a mother, I want to ensure the jobs we deliver are sustainable. On all sides of the House there is an ambition to create more sustainable jobs outside the population centres. There is no single approach to this. It will require up to 40 or 50 separate actions involving IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the local enterprise...

Other Questions: Job Creation Targets (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: What I define as full employment is everyone who wants a sustainable job being able to find one. It is my job to ensure this will happen in the coming years. The Deputy asked about part-time workers. I understand many women are in part-time employment and would like to work more hours. There are people who choose to engage in part-time work and I understand this. We will try to ensure...

Other Questions: Job Creation Targets (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy asked about the amount of up to €250 million. I will ensure we spend €249 million or €249.99 million. I will certainly not send back any money. Anyone who knows me knows that I am able to live within budget, but I will ensure it is ringfenced to create jobs. The Deputy also asked about why there were not more IDA Ireland site visits. The money has come...

Other Questions: Job Creation Targets (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Will the Deputy repeat what he said?

Other Questions: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank the Deputy. I fully recognise that TTIP, and the process it involves, is full of many complex and difficult issues. Nobody wants a bad deal and along within every country, we in Ireland have our priorities. The Copenhagen economic study has shown that the right agreement could create anything up to 10,000 jobs here. Irish companies in the US employ approximately 80,000 people....

Other Questions: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank the Deputy. We will not change our rules on GMO and we will not accept hormone treated beef, as the EU has made clear from the outset. The text of any deal will run to thousands of pages and it is still under negotiation. Nothing will be agreed until everything is agreed and I expect negotiations to continue for some time. Any final agreement is subject to agreement by all member...

Other Questions: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The current legal position is that civil fines are not provided for in Irish law for anti-competitive practices. The Attorney General has previously advised my Department that providing for them would pose legal difficulties, having regard to Article 38.1 of the Constitution, even at the level of a class A fine. In that context, any legislation to introduce civil fines that would lower the...

Other Questions: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The main argument is that the level of proof required to achieve a successful prosecution is too high for hard-core competition offences, for example, cartels and price-fixing, which are criminal in nature. In criminal cases, the level of proof is "beyond all reasonable doubt". By contrast, the level of proof in civil proceedings is on balance of probability grounds. Thus, proving a case...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: On Deputy Alan Kelly's question as to whether the visits will be to Dublin, the greater Dublin area or the regions, I will make sure to have those figures. On County Kildare specifically, the message from my office, loud and clear, to IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland is to get out to the regions and rural Ireland. I probably am a good Minister in this regard because I am from rural...

Other Questions: Trade Relations (15 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department has not been involved in any discussions since 1 August 2013 in regard to trade missions to Egypt. I am concerned about and personally sympathetic to, as well as moved by, what has happened to Ibrahim Halawa. While I am not happy he is incarcerated, the judicial process works differently in Egypt than it does in Ireland or in many other countries.