Results 46,701-46,720 of 50,917 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Business Regulation. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: As a backdrop to this, it is worth pointing out that the World Bank's report, Doing Business 2008, ranked Ireland eighth out of 178 in terms of ease of starting and running a business. Only the UK and Denmark are ahead of us in the EU. That said, we acknowledge a clear need to reduce regulation on business and I have already outlined some of the steps we have taken on this, such as the audit...

Industrial Development. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: On the morning of 3 October 2007, I was very disappointed to be informed by way of a conference call with the Irish general manager and the executive vice president of operations of Amgen Inc. that the project had been postponed indefinitely due to a downturn and difficulties within the American market for the company's products. During the week commencing 8 October 2007 various discussions...

Industrial Development. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: On the Deputy's latter queries, those matters will be dealt with in reply to a later question. In order to save time, I will deal with them when the said question is taken. It is important not to play politics with this issue.

Industrial Development. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: There is an element of playing politics. The Government does not represent Amgen. I do not sit in on meetings at the corporate headquarters of global companies. Those who run such companies, not the Los Angeles Times or any other newspaper, make decisions. The executive vice-president of the company put it very well last week when he asked if I honestly thought that if the management...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The total approved staffing complement for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, ODCE, has already been increased this year from 37 to 41 posts. A further increase of four posts is planned to take place by the end of the year. The recruitment process in this regard is under way. In addition, I understand the director is pursuing with the Garda Commissioner the possibility of...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: Have I jumped ahead?

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: That is certainly the case.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: That is never the position in my case.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: Unemployment currently stands at 4.5%. The ESRI projects that it will rise to 5.6% in 2008. It also forecasts that employment will grow by 2.5% — 50,000 — this year and by 0.6% in 2008. The pre-budget outlook is more optimistic in this regard and states employment will grow by 3.5% this year and 1.25% — 26,000 — in 2008. Employment has increased by 259,000 in the three-year period...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The EU-27 average for unemployment is 6.9%. The projections made fall well below this figure, which is important. We must be careful as regards the language we use. We certainly have not thrown in the towel. The economy is robust and performing well in international terms. I have just come from the launch of Enterprise Ireland's new strategic vision for the next three years where it has...

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: Our unemployment rate is 4.5%.

Unemployment Levels. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Varadkar is taking current figures for the other countries and comparing them with projected forecast figures for next year. I invite the Deputies to look at all previous forecasts for the past ten years. We could do an interesting assessment of how many of them were actually correct.

Departmental Agencies. (24 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The total approved staffing complement for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, ODCE, has already been increased this year from 37 to 41 posts. A further increase of four posts is planned to take place by the end of this year. The recruitment process is under way. In addition, I understand that the director is pursuing with the Garda Commissioner the possibility of...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: My Department's Annual Output Statement for 2007 has not yet been published on my Department's website. However, I have no objection to publishing the Statement on the website and I have asked my officials to do so immediately. Future Annual Output Statements will be published on my Department's website following their presentation to the Select Committee on Enterprise and Small Business...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has responsibility for immigration matters and immigration stamps. This person would need to have his/her situation regularised with that Department in the first instance. Once this is completed, my Department will consider an application for an employment permit.

Written Answers — Labour Force Skills: Labour Force Skills (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a project of the OECD together with a number of member countries for the development of a new generation of household-based surveys of adult skills in selected domains of measurable ability. Ireland declined to be involved in the OECD's PIAAC due to a number of concerns. These included the high cost of...

Written Answers — Labour Force Skills: Labour Force Skills (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs was established in 1997 to advise the Government on aspects of education and training related to the future skills requirements of the enterprise sector of the Irish economy. The Group is comprised of representatives of business, employees, education, Government departments and State agencies. Its mandate provides that it will act as the central...

Written Answers — Labour Force Skills: Labour Force Skills (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: There is no skills register for County Kildare maintained under the auspices of my Department or its agencies. Through its Quarterly National Household Survey the CSO collects statistics and information concerning skills and education qualifications at a regional level. However, this information does not give an insight to the skills of the individuals working or living at county level.

Written Answers — Departmental Travel: Departmental Travel (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: I am advised that frequent flyer schemes operated by the principal airlines flying into and out of Ireland operate on the basis of offering points to the named individual who is travelling and that points are not transferable. Accordingly, my Department allows frequent flyer points accrued by Ministers and civil servants to be retained by the individuals concerned. The approach adopted by...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (23 Oct 2007)

Micheál Martin: The management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency and not one in which I have a function. As I have previously stated in my reply on 26th September, for commercial reasons, and in order to protect IDA's negotiating position in relation to any similar properties it is not appropriate for information on the commercial terms agreed...