Results 46,221-46,240 of 50,917 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (5 Feb 2008)

Micheál Martin: No data is kept in my Department on the cost of answering parliamentary questions. Answering parliamentary questions is an activity which is integral to my Department's activities, and the costs are spread across a wide number of divisions and systems; there are also costs arising in the Oireachtas for which my Department would not be accountable. However, it is estimated that the staffing...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (5 Feb 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Work Visa/Work Authorisation Scheme was replaced by new Work Permit and Green Card schemes following the enactment of the Employment Permits Act 2006. A key feature of the new system involves the issuing of permits which are employer-specific, with a view to this Department having the ability to track such positions for the purposes of ensuring employee rights are being met and that the...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (31 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that a work permit has now issued in this case.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (31 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that a work permit has now issued in this case.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (31 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that this application was refused on the grounds that the position did not meet the criteria for a Green Card. This decision was upheld on appeal. However, if a work permit application were received for this position, it would be considered.

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (31 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I am aware that the approach being adopted by North Cork Enterprise Board in the development of micro-enterprise is underpinned by an emphasis on the provision of advice, mentoring and management development supports to the micro-enterprise sector at local level. The Board's budget spend reflects this current prioritisation away from direct financial assistance towards an increasing recourse...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (31 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I understand that a restructuring of the manufacturing activities of the company in question will lead to a cessation of production at its biscuit factory in Tallaght by early 2009. The planned restructuring will include an investment programme and the company expects to employ 120 people at that stage in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland has had a number of discussions with the company over the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (31 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I am assuming the Deputy's question refers to the Efficiency Review exercise which was announced by the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance in his Budget Day speech in December 2007. In line with the Tánaiste's announcement, my Department was asked to provide the Department of Finance, by 1 March 2008, with a list of specific actionable proposals to maximise efficiencies gains in spending...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Research Framework Programmes are the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe and have been operating successfully since 1984. They have played a particularly important role in bringing European researchers (in academia and in industry) together in collaborative research projects, in facilitating the mobility of researchers across Europe and in supporting economic and social...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Permits Section of my Department has informed me that it has no record of a valid employment permit application in respect of either of the named persons. Permission to remain in the State is a matter for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. The programme helps unemployed people to progress to the open labour market by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: Neither my Department nor its agencies are responsible for registering people as self-employed. Persons wishing to register as self-employed should file their records with the Revenue Commissioners for tax purposes and the Department of Social and Family Affairs for social insurance matters. While FÁS runs courses for the training, assessment and certification of construction operatives as...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: Entrepreneurship in Ireland is supported and encouraged by the active and constant pursuit and promotion by the Government of an economic environment that is supportive of entrepreneurial activity combined with a wide range of targeted interventions by various State enterprise development agencies. Ireland's extraordinary success over the past decade has been built on, and continues to be...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: The role of the CEB Central Co-ordination Unit has its origins in one of the core recommendations of the Fitzpatrick's Review of the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs). It recommended that a CEB Central Co-Ordination Unit (CCU) should be established within Enterprise Ireland (EI). The recommendation envisaged that the establishment of such a Unit could provide a level and range of...

Written Answers — Judicial Reviews: Judicial Reviews (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 620 and 621 together. The detail relating to judicial reviews that my Department was responsible for in each of the years 1997 to 2007 inclusive is set out in the following tabular statement. 1997 Number of applications for Judicial Review initiated against the Department Number of applications where leave was granted Total damages awarded against the State...

Written Answers — International Trade: International Trade (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: In relation to competition law, the precise term "inter-state trade" does not appear either in the Competition Act 2002 or in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty of Rome. However, the term "trade between Member States" appears in both Articles 81 and 82. Article 81(1) prohibits agreements, decisions and concerted practices which "may affect trade between Member States" and which have the object...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 629 together. Joint Labour Committees (JLCs) are established by order of the Labour Court under Section 35 of the Industrial Relations Act 1946. JLCs discuss and agree terms and conditions to apply to specified workers in certain sectors. When a JLC agrees terms and conditions, it makes proposals to the Labour Court. That Court, on foot of a JLC...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the judgement of the Court given on 11 December 2007 in Case C-438/05, International Transport Workers' Federation, Finnish Seamen's Union - V- Viking Line ABP, OU Viking Line Eesti. The case concerned the application of Article 43 EC (Right of Establishment) in relation to collective action by trade unions against a private undertaking and does not...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: Details of the 20 Acts passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas that were sponsored by my Department from 2003 to 2007 are set out in the following tabular statement. 2003 Title Act Was the Act introduced wholly or mainly as a result of EU obligations Was the Act introduced partly as a result of EU obligations Did the Act have minimal or no basis in EU obligations Where Acts were implemented...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (30 Jan 2008)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 634 to 636, inclusive, together. Funding is provided for the establishment of Enterprise Incubators through a programme operated by Enterprise Ireland in the context of company creation rather than as a process through which new companies are attracted to a specific region or regions. The types of companies that occupy existing facilities are firms which have...