Results 47,241-47,260 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 146 together. Statistics for Merchandise Trade performance in 2006 show that these exports increased by 2% on 2005. Exports from Enterprise Ireland's client base of indigenous companies is expected to show a significantly higher increase. This is a very creditable performance, against a background of a difficult global trading environment, and shows...

Written Answers — Trade Balance Statistics: Trade Balance Statistics (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: In 2006 Ireland's total merchandise imports were valued at €60.4bn. The major categories of such imports were, in descending order, Computers (€10.4bn), Road vehicles (€4bn), Electrical machinery (€3.8bn), Petroleum and related products (€3.7bn), Miscellaneous manufactured articles €3bn), Medicinal and Pharmaceutical products (€2.2bn) and Telecommunications and Sound...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: Officials in the Employment Permits Section of my Department have informed me the number of work permit applications received up to the 20th April 2007 is 7547, the number issued is 4930, the number refused is 554 and the remainder are currently being processed. Employment Permit statistics for the previous four years are contained in the following table. Year Permits Issued Permits Refused...

Written Answers — Skills Strategy: Skills Strategy (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: In an increasingly knowledge-based and globalised environment, the skills required are progressively becoming more sophisticated. The Government has made provision to ensure that we have the best assessment of future skills needs and the policies and training programmes in place to respond to them. Central to this endeavour is the work of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. It has been...

Written Answers — Enterprise and Job Creation: Enterprise and Job Creation (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: State support for enterprise and job creation, including embedment and retention, is channelled through the industrial development agencies. While we have been very successful over the past decade in attracting investment and jobs we now face new challenges. We are no longer a low cost country with high levels of unemployment. Ireland is now a less competitive location for what might be...

Written Answers — Enterprise and Job Creation: Enterprise and Job Creation (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: State support for enterprise and job creation is channelled through the industrial development agencies. While I may give general policy directives to the agencies I am precluded under the Industrial Development Acts from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving preference to one area over others. I have been assured by the agencies under the remit of my Department...

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: This is a long reply. My advisers and I prepared the Fianna Fáil enterprise policy document entitled Keeping Ireland Working: The Next Steps Forward. Other than the engagement by my advisers, I did not ask any civil servant working in my Department to become involved in the preparation of the document nor did any civil servant of my Department become involved in the preparation of this...

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: I sincerely ask the Deputy to withdraw the allegations. It is pathetic and illustrative of a bankruptcy of ideas that the Deputy must descend to this as is the idea his party leader would raise this matter of a computer glitch. My advisers formulated this document and sent it via electronic mail. If Fine Gael's super-sleuths examined it more closely, they would have seen the initials of...

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It is unfair and the allegation should be withdrawn. It is like Forrest Gump claiming he found the files on Nixon. It is pathetic and ridiculous. I must take issue with the idea that Deputy Hogan would table a priority question on something he knows to be complete nonsense, and I know from his demeanour that he knows it to be so.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: I must also take issue with his reference to "previous issues" by which he obviously means the technical briefing an official from the Department attended in the context of the groceries order. The Government corresponded with the Standards in Public Office Commission on this matter. As part of subsequent ongoing correspondence, a letter was sent to the Taoiseach from the Standards in...

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It was not a full meeting.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: I resent very much the implication in Deputy Hogan's question and reject it out of hand. I have absolutely no intention of giving any credence to baseless smear tactics from the Fine Gael Party. This is pathetic and ridiculous.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: An adviser under the Acts and codes is quite entitled to assist a Minister late at night or at whatever time. Deputy Hogan knows this as does everybody. We are discussing an electronic communication from an adviser to a Fianna Fáil Party official as part of preparation of a document. If one presses "file" and then "property" one sees the author. This is what we are discussing.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Hogan is making a big song and dance pretending and creating the aura that civil servants were involved when he knows full well that no civil servants were involved.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It did not happen before. The Standards in Public Office Commission in its letter to the Taoiseach in November confirms my point that we are quite within the parameters of what is contained in the letter. It is unseemly of the Deputy to do this and he should withdraw it.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: He is casting aspersions on people and he should not do so. It brings politics into disrepute.

Public Holidays. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: The festival is the work of an innovative committee in Cork.

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Consumer Protection Act 2007, which provides for the establishment of the National Consumer Agency on a statutory basis, was recently signed into law. Regulations are being finalised to appoint 1 May 2007 as the establishment day for the agency. Once formally established, the NCA will have specific statutory functions in areas such as enforcement and information. These will include...

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It is widely known I established the agency on an interim basis, and this has been widely debated in the House. It was good to have it established on an interim basis prior to the passing of legislation and it has been effective prior to having a statutory footing. This has been evident mainly in the area of advocacy, research and a number of campaigns organised around a range of issues....

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: With the greatest respect, I have been very——