Results 47,881-47,900 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (21 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: Support for job creation and investment in individual counties and towns is a day-to-day operational matter for the development agencies as part of their responsibility under the Industrial Development Acts. While I may give general policy directives to the agencies I am precluded under the Industrial Developments Acts from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: The information requested by the Deputy, which is included in the following table, refers to Bodies or Agencies that come under my Department's remit and which are funded by my Department, but which are statutorily independent of the Department in the execution of their day-to-day functions. I should also say that under Delegation of Ministerial Functions Orders, responsibility for making a...

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Second Stage (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I thank Deputies who contributed to the debate. The Industrial Development Bill has a narrow focus. It is an enabling Bill that provides security for employees who transfer from Shannon Development. Their terms and conditions of employment are protected, in line with the views expressed by Deputy Finian McGrath, in respect of employee rights. The transfer from Shannon Development to...

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Referral to Select Committee (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, in accordance with Standing Order 120(1) and paragraph 1(a)(i) of the Orders of Reference of that committee.

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Second Stage (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I have been there this year.

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Second Stage (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I visited one of the area's better companies, Combilift.

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Second Stage (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is speaking about county councils now.

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Order for Second Stage (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Industrial Development Bill 2006: Second Stage (16 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." In accordance with the recommendations of the enterprise strategy group and the new mandate for Shannon Development, the indigenous industry support functions carried out by Shannon Development, under delegated authority from Enterprise Ireland, will revert to Enterprise Ireland on 1 January 2007. The reversion of these functions will also...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: A key goal for the enterprise development agencies is the achievement of the national objective of balanced regional development within the framework of the National Spatial Strategy. The recently launched "Gateways Investment Priorities Study" aims to provide renewed impetus to the development of the nine Gateway locations identified in the NSS. Gateway development involves not just...

Written Answers — Research Policy: Research Policy (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Framework Programme is the main instrument through which the EU's research policy is implemented. The Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) has been designed to build on the achievements of its predecessor towards the creation of the European Research Area and carry it further towards the objective of developing the knowledge economy and society in Europe. The Budget for the FP7 Programme is...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: In September, 2006, the company in question announced a reduction in its employment with the removal of 200 temporary positions from its Waterford plant. The full services of the Industrial Training agency FÁS are available to these employees. The jobs in question are not permanent positions and the company continues to employ over 1,500 permanent people. On 27 October, 2006, I announced...

Written Answers — Foreign Direct Investment: Foreign Direct Investment (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. For a number of years now the Agency has been very successful in marketing Ireland to overseas investors and we continue to win a disproportionate share of available investments relative to our size and population. The level of foreign direct investment...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department has been making good progress in the relocation of the required 250 posts to Carlow under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. With regard to the property side of the Department's move, the Office of Public Works completed the purchase of a site in Carlow town centre late last year. On 31st May 2006, the OPW commenced the tendering process by seeking expressions of...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 117 together. I have provided funding of more than €30m to the County and City Enterprise Boards this year. This represents an increase of nearly 8% on the allocation provided in 2005. In addition to the Exchequer funding provided, the CEBs have an increasing flow of funds available to them from repayments of refundable grants provided in earlier...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: The information being requested falls within the statutory remit of Enterprise Ireland, an agency under the aegis of my Department. However, I understand that a significant proportion of the requested material now being sought is incorporated in the material recently supplied to Deputy Ryan by Enterprise Ireland following the Deputy's Parliamentary Questions, numbers 406, 407 and 408, of the...

Written Answers — UN Conventions: UN Conventions (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 154 together. As I and other Ministers have indicated to similar questions in the past, Ireland has not signed nor has it any plans to ratify the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1990. This is also the position of other Member...

Written Answers — Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy: Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: In the months since the launch of the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI) in June, 2006 the following implementation initiatives have been set in train: The composition and terms of reference of Technology Ireland (TI) have been agreed and it has become operational. TI, which operates under the aegis of the Office for Science and Technology, is charged with ensuring...

Written Answers — Live Register: Live Register (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: As part of the Government's National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) Preventive Strategy, people aged between 18 and 64 years and who are approaching three months' duration on the Live register, are systematically referred by the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) to FÁS for interview with a view to assisting them enter/re-enter employment. During the period January to December...

Written Answers — Public Services Portal: Public Services Portal (15 Nov 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 113 together. My Department has co-operated with Reach Services on the integration of electronic services into one common portal. At present, all of the Department's websites and online services are available via Reach. These services include database and register searching, downloading official forms, and document searching, downloading and...