Results 48,721-48,740 of 51,299 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Oil Prices. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: There is no question but that rising oil prices have an impact, and nobody is arguing that they do not. With regard to the social partnership talks, the objective from our perspective is sustainability and competitiveness.

Oil Prices. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The social partners have other issues, which they have raised. The first issue relates to labour law compliance etc., and there have been substantive talks and progress on that matter. We are moving into a new phase of those talks, which have been under way for some time. In that context, competitiveness is of course an issue. Employers are looking for restraint with regard to pay awards. The...

Oil Prices. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the energy issue, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is producing an energy paper which is considering the wider issues pertaining to the energy market——

Oil Prices. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: ——and how we can restructure it to get a better long-term outcome. We are after sustainable outcomes rather than short-term knee-jerk reactions.

Oil Prices. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: Such reactions may not impact to the degree that people want.

EU Programmes. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: There are two units in my Department with responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of European Union co-financed programmes. These are the European Social Fund policy and operations unit and the productive sector operational programme management unit, which has responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund moneys in my Department. These units also incorporate the managing...

EU Programmes. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The question has nothing to do with the question that was tabled. I met Greencore to urge it to keep the Mallow sugar factory open and specifically asked that it be as generous as possible to the workers in any redundancy package to emerge. We have already met representatives of the workers and instructed the State agencies to do everything in their power to be of assistance to them. FÁS has...

EU Programmes. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The decision on an alternative use of the plants at Mallow and Carlow is one for the company. It would be very foolish of me to commit the Government to purchase such a facility for the manufacture of a product on which significant research and preparatory work needs to be done. There has been much superficial talk about how wonderful an ethanol factory would be——

EU Programmes. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: ——but from the assessments I have received there are serious questions about its viability. We need strong evidence that we can develop such an industry in Ireland. I have worked with a number of small companies, not necessarily in Mallow, on alternative fuels. We do not own the facility.

EU Programmes. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: It is important to get the science right. Other countries have significant advantages over us in terms of crop yield, among other things.

EU Programmes. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Government works on a collective basis. The Taoiseach has personally taken an interest in the situation in Mallow and has, with a number of Ministers, met interested parties at the plant. We are interested in real solutions for the future of Mallow.

Economic Competitiveness. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The reference by the Deputy to a 1.8% increase in export growth for 2005, from a report published by the ESRI, refers to the total volume growth of Irish exports in 2005. Figures published by the Central Statistics Office show that the total value of Irish merchandise exports for 2005 increased by 5% on 2004 export figures. This follows a 2% increase in the value of Irish exports between 2003...

Economic Competitiveness. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: It is important to secure agreement on the issue of value versus volume because the former is a better index. While figures can always be used in different ways, I would prefer a lower volume of much higher value goods in the technological and pharmaceutical areas than a high volume of low value exports. It was somewhat unusual for the ESRI to focus on the volume aspect of the equation...

Economic Competitiveness. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: I refer to the wider debate on the issue.

Job Losses. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: Last month, the company in question informed IDA Ireland that it was entering into a consultation period with its staff with a view to seeking up to 150 redundancies at its Cork facility. While the company started consultations with employee representatives on 3 May 2006, it was also seeking alternative business for the Cork facility. Fortunately, I understand there is scope for redeployment...

Job Losses. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy's questions pose some dilemmas for me as I am wearing both a national and a Cork hat. I assure her, however, that the proposed job losses are not, under any circumstances, due to deficient infrastructure or any issue of that nature. Cork city was, for example, one of the first areas to develop the metropolitan area network infrastructure. Unfortunately, the issue facing the company...

Job Losses. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: On that score, the feedback from the companies I have mentioned has been positive. Some of the companies I mentioned have been established recently and the feedback has been strong in terms of their perception of the ease of establishment in Ireland, including Cork, and the availability of skills in particular. So far, so good in that respect. Broadband is a competitive issue for the country...

Competition Authority. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Competition Authority's budget allocation for 2006 was increased primarily to provide additional resources for the cartel enforcement division. Seven new posts were approved and a staff recruitment campaign is currently under way. This will result in a doubling of the authority's staff for investigating cartels. I expect that once the new posts are filled, the authority will be in a...

World Trade Negotiations. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 72 and 75 together. The European Union is seeking a balanced and ambitious outcome across all core areas of the Doha development agenda. The EU believes this is the only way to deliver economic growth and development gains for all participants. Ireland fully supports the EU objective. The position has now been reached in the negotiations when all WTO...

World Trade Negotiations. (17 May 2006)

Micheál Martin: Obviously, the situation is there to play for. We are clear about the development agenda. For example, at the last round, the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, accompanied the Minister for Agriculture and Food and the Minister of State with responsibility for trade, Deputy Michael Ahern, to those talks to make clear the broad-based approach we were taking. The words "balance" and...