Results 2,641-2,660 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Data (31 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 907 and 908 together. An “agency worker” means an individual employed by an employment agency under a contract of employment by virtue of which the individual may be assigned to work for, and under the direction and supervision of, a person other than the employment agency. Under the EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work, temporary agency...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Expenditure (31 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The estimated expenditure provision for professional fees, including but not limited to legal, IT-related, accountancy, and other advisory and consultancy costs for 2016 for my Department is €5.3 million. It is important to recognise the uncertain nature of legal fees which can vary from year-to-year, and will be dependent on caseload, complexity, duration and outcome. The...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Expenditure (31 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The total Travel and Subsistence costs incurred by the Department and its offices in 2015 was €1,451,940.18. This includes all national and international travel expenditure incurred by Ministers, their staff, and the staff of the Department and its Offices which include: - Companies Registration Office - Employment Appeals Tribunal - Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (26 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The 13th round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations between the EU the US and took place from 25th – 29th April, 2016 in New York. Progress was made on the two texts on regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practices. Substantial progress was achieved on the SME chapter and on the provisions of Customs and Trade Facilitation which would simplify customs...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Local Enterprise Offices (26 May 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. In the first instance, the LEOs provide a ‘signposting’ service in relation to all relevant state supports available through agencies such as Revenue, the Department of Social...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (26 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department has no record of an application for an Employment Permit from the person named by the Deputy and consequently I cannot comment on the matter. From the details supplied, it would appear that the application number cited by the Deputy relates to the Department of Justice and Equality.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Jobs Protection (26 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 257 together. In the case of these companies, my Department, through IDA Ireland, has engaged intensively with both local management and with the parent companies abroad to pursue new investors to take over the plants in question. Unfortunately, with regard to the company in Co. Tipperary, these efforts have not been successful to date and a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (26 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Ireland’s system of industrial relations is, essentially, voluntary in nature and responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers, whether in redundancy or other collective disputes, rests with the employer, the workers and their representatives. The State provides the industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms to support parties in their...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Company Law (26 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Section 279 of the Companies Act 2014 provides that US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles may be used by companies for a particular transitional period, subject to compliance with Irish company law and to the company meeting certain criteria. That transitional period runs to 31 December 2020. A number of factors will need to be considered before a decision is made on any...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (26 May 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...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (26 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The search powers of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) for the purposes of investigating alleged breaches of competition law are set out in section 37 of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (the “2014 Act”). Section 37 of the 2014 Act gives the CCPC significant powers of entry, search and seizure in the context of competition law...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (25 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: At the recent Minister’s Trade Council meeting on the 13th May 2016, the Council had an exchange of views on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the process towards signature and provisional application of the agreement. The European Commission and Member States highlighted the high quality of the agreement reached with Canada and expressed the desire...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (25 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The proposed EU-US agreement is one of a number of new style trade agreements the EU is negotiating that not only covers tariffs, services and investment but also includes regulatory coherence and cooperation. An EU-US agreement would be the world’s largest bilateral trade and investment deal, and a successful conclusion is expected to benefit Ireland more than any other EU Member...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Services Expenditure (25 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In 2010 IDA Ireland approved a training grant for the company in question. Payments subsequently made under this approval totalled €586,873. Under the terms of the agreement between IDA Ireland and the company, a refund to the State does not now arise. This is standard practice in the case of training grants, which are designed to equip the workforce with skills that are transferable...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Health and Safety Regulations (25 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (the Act), makes provision for securing the safety health and welfare of persons at work and covers all those at work including the self-employed. In reference to any activity or sector, the Act only applies where there is a work activity or likely to be one carried out in the near future. The Act defines a place of work as including any...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Personal Injury Claims (25 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) is an independent statutory agency and I, as Minister, am not permitted in my executive function to interfere in any way with the day to day operations and functions of PIAB. Section 54 of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 sets out the principal functions of the Board. Section 54(1)(b) states: ‘to prepare and publish a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Waste Management Regulations (24 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Matters to do with communication to customers of waste companies and with pricing, billing and access to account information come within the scope of the Customer Charter for Household Waste Collection. This Charter constitutes the Sixth Schedule to the Waste Management Collection (Permit) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 820 of 2007) as amended most recently by the Waste Management (Collection...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Properties (24 May 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 rent any properties or land. Any rents or ground rents payable by Agencies of my Department is a matter for the individual Agencies concerned for which I have no direct function. However,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (24 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 615 and 620 together. There is no separate legal definition of the term “au pair” in Irish legislation, and individuals described as “au pairs”, “nannies” or “child-minders” are not exempted or treated as separate categories of workers under Irish employment law. Ireland’s body of employment...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (24 May 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: IDA Ireland actively promotes the Shannon Free zone – along with the rest of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary – as part of its Mid-West region. Currently there are 123 client companies of the Agency employing 14,280 staff (Annual Employment Survey 2015) across that area. As part of the restructuring of Shannon Development in 2014, its enterprise support functions were...