Results 48,101-48,120 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: No proposal has been under consideration to subsume Shannon Development into Enterprise Ireland. The Deputy may be referring to the new mandate which I recently assigned to Shannon Development whereby, following a recommendation from the Enterprise Strategy Group and subsequently approved by the Government, the functions hitherto carried out by the Company under delegated authority from...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Action Plan to progress implementation of the Enterprise Strategy Group's recommendations is well advanced. To ensure that momentum is maintained in putting their recommendations into operation I appointed the Enterprise Advisory Group, which has an important monitoring role in the implementing process. In total the Action Plan contained 47 recommendations and thus far almost all have...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: Preparations in relation to the establishment of the new National Consumer Agency are well underway. The General Scheme of the Consumer Protection (National Consumer Agency) Bill, which will give statutory effect to the new Agency, was published by my Department on 24th August 2006. The scheme of the Bill is currently with Parliamentary Counsel for priority drafting as agreed by the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: The day to day work and investment decisions of Enterprise Ireland are matters for the agency itself, and not ones in which I am directly involved. Enterprise Ireland provides a detailed breakdown of approvals, payments and all significant activities relating to the implementation of the Agency's strategy in its Annual Report. The most recent annual report, which covered the period January...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (11 Oct 2006)

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 temporary basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and by...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: Responsibility for the development of property solutions for enterprise promotion in the Mid West Region lies with Shannon Development. IDA Ireland is the national agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions (including Co. Limerick), while Shannon Development is responsible for indigenous industry in the Mid-West region...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: I met the Director for Corporate Enforcement on 17 May 2006 to discuss his request for additional staff resources. I indicated to him that I was generally disposed to his case. I outlined the very tight parameters that exist under the Public Service staffing programme. I have raised the matter with the Minister for Finance and my officials are currently engaging more fully on the matter with...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: I had a very productive meeting with my Northern Ireland counterpart, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Maria Eagle M.P., on 1 June at InterTrade Ireland's offices in Newry. The Chairman and Chief Executive of InterTrade Ireland briefed Minister Eagle and I on the Body's programmes and activities and its overall strategy to enhance the development of the all-island economy....

Written Answers — Small Business Forum: Small Business Forum (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: When I published the report of the Small Business Forum earlier this year, I indicated that I was accepting, in general, the report's recommendations in so far as they related to my own areas of responsibility and that I would be pursuing the implementation of the other recommendations with my colleagues in Government who had responsibility for the relevant areas. In so far as the...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 168, 169 and 175 together. The reasons for companies to relocate activities from Ireland are many and varied, and include relocation to be closer to customers or other competitive considerations. I believe that firms must be free to allocate resources and production to where the returns are highest. It is not in our interest to obstruct what is in the best...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: Each of the enterprise development agencies, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the County Enterprise Boards has a role to play in the promotion of investment and job creation in the country. For a number of years now IDA Ireland has been very successful in marketing Ireland to overseas investors and we continue to win a disproportionately high share of mobile global investments. The level...

Written Answers — Energy Policy: Energy Policy (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: My colleague the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D., has policy responsibility for energy related matters, including the alternative fuel industry. The Government is firmly committed to the development of bio-energy generally in Ireland and a number of initiatives are already in place to promote the biofuels sector. To this end, a Ministerial...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: Ireland can no longer compete long-term in commoditised markets against low cost economies. This is demonstrated by the decline in the number of firms and persons employed in the Textiles, Leather and Electrical machinery sectors over the past five years. Competitiveness in commoditised, low value added sectors such as these is largely based on low-wage and non-wage costs. The rising cost...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: The table sets out the position in relation to job gains and job losses, in relation to full-time manufacturing jobs, in agency assisted firms in Co. Kildare over the period 2001-2005. Over the past 5 years, IDA Ireland's focused strategy for Kildare has been to promote the county as part of an integrated East Region with access to a population base of 1.5 million people. IDA Ireland's...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: The budget for FÁS is agreed on the basis of detailed discussions between FÁS, my Department and the Department of Finance in the context of the annual Estimates process. My Department has allocated a total of €985.175 million to FÁS in the 2006 Estimate. This is an increase of approximately 8% on the amount spent by FÁS in 2005. This budget is allocated by FÁS to the specific approved...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. The marketing of individual areas, including Waterford, for new or expansion FDI investments and jobs is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency. While I may give general policy directives to the Agency, I am precluded under the Acts from giving...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: In so far as the question relates to company law inquiries, I would refer the Deputy to the tables below which set out summary details of all company law investigations, for which my Department has had responsibility, since 1997. Sixteen investigations into company law matters were initiated by my predecessor in the period since 1997. In three cases, the High Court appointed, on an...

Joint Policing Committees. (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: I am deputising for the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform who, as Deputies will be aware, is engaged in important work elsewhere. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and assure him the Tánaiste and I share his interest in joint policing committees. The genesis of the committees is the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the most significant legislation affecting the...

Joint Policing Committees. (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: Following the review, the guidelines will be amended as necessary and new guidelines issued for a full rollout of the committees.

Industrial Development. (11 Oct 2006)

Micheál Martin: Enterprise Ireland is the agency involved and my Department does not get involved in the day-to-day administration of grants or the return thereof. This is fundamentally a matter for the agency. The House has delegated this authority to it and the other industrial development agencies. We cannot delegate authority to the agencies while at the same time running their day-to-day operations....