Results 2,561-2,580 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Expenditure (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The total expenditure on hard copy newspapers by my Department and Offices in 2015 was €21,530. The newspapers were purchased in respect of the Offices of the Minister, Ministers of State, the Press Office, Office of the Secretary General, members of the Management Board and include a number of business newspapers for Divisional use. Also, in 2015, my Department purchased ten on line...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Data (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 615 and 617 together. The Human Resources Unit is situated within the Corporate Services, EU Affairs & Trade Policy Division of my Department. The mission of Corporate Services is to further the development of staff, support structures and systems to assist the Department in achieving its objectives and in implementing a programme of continuous...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Staff (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Staffing limits in respect of Ministers’ Offices are set out in “Instructions” issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). Within the current Instructions, two Clerical Officers have been assigned by my Department to work exclusively on constituency matters.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Appointment of Receivers (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Receiverships arise as a result of private contractual relationships, normally between a company and a lending institution (the creditor). In the normal course, receivers are appointed on foot of a power contained in an instrument such as a debenture. It is thus a matter for the lender to determine the qualifications of the receiver when making the appointment. Section 433 of the Companies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Semi-State Bodies Data (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: There are no commercial Semi-State companies under the aegis of my Department, and consequently no Chief Executive Officer on a Hay contract.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: There were six IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits to Donegal in 2014 and five in 2015. In the first quarter of 2016, there was one visit to the county.It is important to note that data on site visits is not an accurate measure of the level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) activity in a region or county. That is because approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Funding (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: No grant funding has been paid by IDA Ireland to this company or to its parent company. However in the period between 1971 and 2010 - when this company was in different ownership and trading under a different name - grant assistance of €5.986m was provided by the State in support of it. These grants were variously in respect of specific Capital, Research and Employment initiatives...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition Law (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Predatory pricing describes conduct on a market whereby a dominant firm sells its goods or services below a defined benchmark cost of production, with the intent of forcing its existing competitors from the market, and dissuading potential competitors from entering the market. Predatory pricing may amount to an abuse of a dominant position in breach of section 5 of the Competition Act 2002,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Provision (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In April, the indigenous enterprise agency of my Department, Enterprise Ireland met with a number of the senior executive team in the company concerned to discuss ways of supporting the sustainability of the plant in question. The challenges and opportunities of the sector concerned within the broader beverage industry were discussed and the company outlined their future plans for the site....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Funding (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: With regard to the Deputy's question, in the time available, it has not been possible for my officials to compile all of the information requested. Once the available information is collated, I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Regulation (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The recent World Bank's Doing Business Report 2016 provides an assessment of a range of regulations affecting SMEs throughout their life cycle. In this Report Ireland is ranked 17th for Ease of Doing Business, out of 189 countries. This places Ireland 4thin the Euro area and 7thin the EU. In the latest IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2016, Ireland is ranked 7th (out of 61 economies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Negotiations between the EU and Mercosur had been in suspension for a number of years, but political developments in late 2015, particularly in Argentina and Brazil, generated a new momentum from the Mercosur side to make progress. On May 11th 2016, the EU and Mercosur exchanged offers on access to their respective markets of goods, services and establishment and government procurement....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership was discussed at the last EU Council of Trade Ministers on 13th May 2016, which I attended. The Council was informed about the latest developments regarding the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. This included prospects for conclusion of the negotiations under the Obama administration. Member States...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-hour Contracts (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am committed to considering an appropriate policy response to the report of the University of Limerick of their study of zero hour contracts and low hour contracts. As Deputies will be aware, the University of Limerick (UL) was appointed in February 2015 to study the prevalence of zero hour contracts and low hour contracts and their impact on employees. The study, published in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Gender Balance (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Ireland’s female seasonally-adjusted participation rate peaked at 54.7% before declining during the recession, dipping to 52.5% in 2012. Since then there has been a gradual recovery, with the figure reaching 52.9% in the first quarter of 2016. Female participation rates have historically been relatively low in Ireland, even prior to the last economic downturn. Quality affordable...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Data (14 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own business. The purpose of the LEO Annual Employment Survey (AES) is to monitor the employment performance amongst micro enterprises employing 10 people or less that have received direct financial...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (9 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The delivery of an online application system for employment permits is listed and reported as one of my Department’s commitments in the Action Plan for Jobs 2016 (Action 73). My Department went to tender in July 2015 for the provision of an Employment Permits Online Application System. Following a competitive process a contract was signed with the preferred provider in November...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Community Enterprise Centres (9 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: 118 applications for the Community Enterprise Initiative Competitive Fund were considered with a total value of €12.3m. There was strong demand for the funding and the process was highly competitive with a threshold mark of 60 to be reached to be successful. The primary criteria and basis for marking the applications were: - Representation of community interests - Financial need and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Programme (9 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I do not intend to re-initiate any Bills from the previous Dáil. The table sets out the Bills that I intend to introduce in the coming Dáil sessions. Bill Provisional Timeframe Hallmarking (Amendment) Bill 2016. It is intended that the Hallmarking (Amendment) Bill 2016 will be initiated in the coming sessions. It is hoped to publish the Bill by end July 2016. Companies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Measures (9 Jun 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Following extensive and positive engagement with social partners, significant work over the past few years has resulted in key legislative developments that significantly enhance the rights of employees to collectively bargain with their employer and to access the State’s workplace relations machinery in order to vindicate their rights. The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015...