Results 301-320 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----knows the issues which we as a Government have had to deal with over the past number of years in relation to the banking situation in this country. Tough and difficult action had to be taken and every family in this country has paid the price for the reckless behaviour of our banks in the past. The Deputy knows the range of initiatives which have been taken to ensure that there the...

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I repeat that we are in the middle of a process of determining the total scale of the issues which have come to our attention and, again, I commend those who had the courage of their convictions and shone a light on this issue. The personal stories have shone a light on this in a way nothing else could. If the Central Bank is not satisfied with the progress that has been made by December,...

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is a combination. If there has been fraud, it has to be dealt with in the normal way. Any individual who suspects fraud can report it to An Garda Síochána and the Garda has to make an assessment. In line with proper procedures, it has to be examined and the evidence brought forth if there is to be a criminal prosecution. Make no mistake but there is no question of any sort of...

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy McDonald. There is a long history in this country and, indeed, elsewhere of difficulty in securing convictions in respect of sexual offences. There is also a long history here and elsewhere of a belief that the sentencing does not reflect the seriousness of the crime. I am on record again and again as saying that I do not believe that enough attention has been paid to...

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Clearly, in court the issues in each case have to be examined but I take the view, as does the Deputy, that consistency of sentencing is an important issue. The approach we have taken is to publish the Judicial Council Bill 2017, under which a sentencing information committee will be established to collate information on sentences imposed by the courts and to disseminate information among...

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: In relation to this sorry saga, trust has to be earned by the banks. At this point, the people's trust has been deeply shattered. As with Deputy O'Callaghan, my thoughts this morning are with each family that has been impacted by this issue. While the numbers involved are in the thousands, the impact is felt at a personal level. It has been heartbreaking for countless families across the...

Leaders' Questions (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: What is needed is action to ensure that the people who have suffered most - those families who have been so impacted by this scandalous behaviour - get redress. That is what the Government is focusing on over the next number of months to ensure there is a speedy response for these families. That is the action which has clearly been taken. What we have now is a deadline for dealing with...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Data (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Earlier this year, IDA Ireland sought submissions from suitable service providers to undertake a study to identify potential strategic land banks in Ireland that would be suitable to accommodate the sustainable development of large scale Data Centre projects. Following this process Jacobs Engineering, supporting by AOS Planning, were appointed to produce this report. The study, which...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: State Aid (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 to 59, inclusive, together. In our engagements with both EU Commissioners and Ministers from other Member States since the UK decision, Brexit has been a central part of the discussions at these meetings. Officials of my Department have held discussions with DG Competition on the potential difficulties likely to be encountered by Irish firms from the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Services Data (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body which was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC assumes the roles and functions previously carried out by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), Equality Tribunal, Labour Relations Commission (LRC), Rights Commissioners Service (RCS), and the first-instance...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: In our engagements with both EU Commissioners and Ministers from other Member States since the UK decision, Brexit has been a central part of the discussions at these meetings. Officials of my Department have held discussions with DG Competition on the potential difficulties likely to be encountered by Irish firms from the Brexit referendum result with the most recent meeting taking place...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department and its counterpart in Northern Ireland, the Department for the Economy, co-fund the cross-border body InterTrade Ireland (ITI). ITI has specific responsibility for developing North-South trade and assisting SMEs, on both sides of the border, to develop their export potential. Given its mandate, ITI is especially well-placed to help businesses throughout Ireland prepare for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Portfolio (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I have made clear, the decision by HP Inc to close its facility in Leixlip was very much regrettable. Although the company continues to operate there, IDA Ireland is nevertheless actively promoting the site to existing clients and potential investors and will continue to do so in the time ahead. This entails engaging with suitable multinational companies - including those currently based...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Schemes (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department does not have any role in the introduction of measures to assist in increasing the viability of the second hand car market.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Enterprise Ireland supports companies in every county of Ireland to start and scale, innovate and remain competitive on international markets. In addition, with the advent of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland now plays a critical role in driving and nurturing entrepreneurship all the way from an originating idea at local level, to taking-on global markets. In...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Site Visits (26 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under its current strategy, IDA Ireland has targeted an increase of 30% to 40% in foreign direct investment (FDI) in every region outside Dublin by 2019. The data available shows that progress is being made towards achieving this goal, with 173 site visits recorded in the first quarter of this year.  This is an increase of over 20% on 2016, when 136 visits were recorded for the same...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Film Industry (25 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ardmore Studios is a commercial entity, owned 68.33% by private interests and 31.67% by the State. The State’s shareholding is managed by Enterprise Ireland. Enterprise Ireland inherited the stake from NADCORP, the former State investment agency, in 1986. As a passive investor, Enterprise Ireland has no enterprise development role in Ardmore or any involvement in its day-to-day...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Council Meetings (25 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Given the many items tabled for discussion at the October EU Council meeting, there was only a brief discussion on Trade.  In that regard, I can confirm that as per the Taoiseach's recent statement on the European Council in the Dáil this week, increasing EU market presence in China and other Asian countries was not discussed at the EU Council. China, however, remains an...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Horizon 2020 Strategy Funding (25 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The following tables provide the requested data by country for each of the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The tables are based on the European Commission's most recent data release on Horizon 2020, which cover the period up to the 30th September 2017. SMEs in receipt of Horizon 2020 Funding Table 1: 2014 County No. CARLOW 1 CORK 3 DUBLIN 21 GALWAY 3 KERRY 4 KILDARE 1 LIMERICK 1...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Central Bank of Ireland Reports (25 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Action Plan for Jobs is the Government’s key instrument to support job creation. The Action Plan for Jobs process is working. Since the first Plan was launched in early 2012, there are over 224,000 more people at work, bringing total employment in the State to almost 2,063,000 by end of Quarter 2, 2017. The increase in employment has been accompanied by a decrease in...