Results 48,301-48,320 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Fair Trade Products: Fair Trade Products (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department's offices are spread over 8 separate buildings, none of which have cafeterias or restaurants. My Department has only a medium sized canteen in Davitt House and a very small canteen in Kildare Street. As indicated in my reply to a similar question by Deputy McManus last month, the tea, coffee, sugar and other products served in those two canteens are not confined to Fair Trade...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: There are currently a total of twenty-seven Directives to be transposed by this Department. Of these, 16 remain to be transposed up to the end of 2006, details of which are given in the Table below. Another 11 Directives require to be transposed in 2007 and subsequent years. Regulations to implement Directive 2001/84 (Resale right for the benefit of the author of an original work of art) were...

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

Micheál Martin: Support for job creation and investment in individual counties and regions 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 Development Acts from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 167 together. My Department is required to move 250 posts to Carlow under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. In addition, four of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department are due to decentralise as follows: FÁS is to move 383 posts to Birr, Co. Offaly; Enterprise Ireland is to move 292 posts to Shannon; The Health and Safety Authority...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Quarterly results need to be interpreted with caution. Quarterly Indices are best compared to performance relative to the corresponding quarter of the previous year rather than relative to the preceding quarter. Furthermore, quarterly indices tend to fluctuate frequently and should more appropriately be viewed in the context of overall annual performance. The manufacturing sector in Ireland...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: A public call for submissions by any interested party to the Business Regulation Forum was carried out by means of advertisements in national newspapers on 23 and 24 March 2006. This was supplemented by a direct invitation to submit sent to 152 public and private sector entities on 25 May 2006. In response, 28 submissions have been received to date. The purpose of the call for submissions is,...

Written Answers — Skill Shortages: Skill Shortages (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: In a tight labour market such as exists in Ireland, it is understandable that there will be some difficulty at times for individual companies in recruiting suitable personnel for their vacancies. However, I think it is valid to claim that in Ireland, more than in most countries, there is a sustained commitment to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the necessary pool of qualified and...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department operates an internal Early Warning System of potential job losses and firms in difficulty, based on material provided on a confidential basis by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development. This information includes details as to why each particular situation has developed. While the number of redundancies was higher in the first three months of 2006 than the...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: A budget of €974.375 million has been allocated to FÁS for 2006. Expenditure by FÁS for the years 1997 to 2005 was as follows: Year €m 1997 498.648 1998: 517.101 1999 577.935 2000 674.732 2001 792.061 2002 850.680 2003 814.602 2004 815.576 2005 903.769 Funding has almost doubled over the period. While some of this increase is due to inflation,...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Government recently decided that the current Spousal Work Permits Scheme would be expanded to include Spouses of all Employment Permit Holders. These new arrangements will give greater ease of access to employment for spouses who have been admitted to the State under Family Reunification. The Work Permits section is currently finalising the administrative details of the extended scheme....

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children and FÁS, has commissioned Indecon International Economic Consultants to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of contracted vocational and rehabilitative training services for people with disabilities. The study will make recommendations on the appropriateness and effectiveness of current levels of State funding and...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The table identifies the number of staff in the general service grades that resigned from this Department in each of the years from 2002 to date in 2006. Principal Officer Assistant Principal Admininstrative Officer Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Staff Officer Clerical Officer 2002 — — — — 3 — 9 ...

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

Micheál Martin: Inward investment into Ireland by foreign companies has played a critical role in the performance of the Irish economy over the last two decades, and our ability to attract the world's leading firms will continue to be an important aspect of our future prosperity. In this respect, Ireland has many reasons to be optimistic for the future. IDA Ireland recently announced strong results for 2005,...

Written Answers — Overseas Trade: Overseas Trade (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The table provides details of the top 10 EU and non-EU countries for which Ireland has had the most favourable trade balance, in descending order, in respect of each of the years 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001. Based on the table it can be seen that there has been a considerable degree of consistency in regard to the list of countries with which Ireland has had the most favourable trade...

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

Micheál Martin: Figures are not available for overall numbers of enterprises established in the economy over the last three years. The performance of the enterprise development agencies, however, gives an indication of the relative strength of the economy. From 2003 to 2005, 2,025 new start-up projects were approved for grant assistance by the County and City Enterprise Boards. Of these 724 start-ups were...

Written Answers — Job Protection: Job Protection (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: As we have seen over the past 15 years, long term, sustainable economic growth and expansion in employment depends on a competitive and adaptable economy. The effects of globalisation are being felt in even the smallest markets and global competition will both intensify and extend its reach well into the foreseeable future. For a long time this Government has recognised the inevitable changes...

Written Answers — Grocery Industry: Grocery Industry (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 164 together. I presume the questions relate to the recent abolition of the Groceries Order. The Groceries Order was abolished because it allowed wholesalers and suppliers to determine minimum retail prices being charged to consumers, virtually eliminated price competition in the grocery trade, resulted in more than 2,000 small independent retailers...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I am informed by the Work Permits section that a total of 10,649 permits have issued up to the 19th June, 2006 compared to a total of 13,552 for the period January to end June 2005. The figures broken down by month are set out in the table. Year Month New Renewals Group Total 2006 3,224 7,000 425 10,649 January 520 854 55 1,429 February 580 957 44 1,581 March...

Written Answers — Company Closures: Company Closures (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The tabular statement gives redundancies notified to my Department from 2001 to date. These figures do not show the number of companies which have ceased trading; companies can have redundancies without ceasing to trade. Figures relating to company closures are not available. Nor is it possible to determine the number of these jobs, if any, which have relocated to lower wage economies....

Written Answers — Skill Shortages: Skill Shortages (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Our economy now has more than 1.9 million people in employment and continues to experience growth. This has led to skills shortages in some areas. However, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has been charged with monitoring emerging Ireland's skills requirements. Since 1997, it has produced estimates of skills requirements by sector, including in ICT, Biotechnology, Finance,...