Results 49,581-49,600 of 51,299 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: I could go on and on——

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: He achieved a great deal more than some people on Deputy Howlin's side of the House.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: I do not think it is revisionism.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: Please, Deputy Howlin.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: I hope Deputy Howlin's picture will be back at his party's Ard-Fheiseanna.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Howlin should be the last to talk about Chairman Mao, in fairness.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: We believe in open and fair competition. It is one of the central keys to both a successful economy and a good deal for consumers. Our decision of last week to repeal the groceries order because it is anti-competitive and anti-consumer is another demonstration of that. The path of least resistance would have involved trying to fudge the issue but we felt the evidence was overwhelming and that...

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: Having spent a large amount of time and money telling everyone how they were willing to take tough decisions in favour of the consumer, Fine Gael's behaviour on the groceries order showed that the last thing it is willing to do is take a tough decision.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: This year alone it has managed the incredible feat of having three entirely different positions on the future of the groceries order.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: We even got an illustration of that this evening. Deputy Crawford's contribution is very clear and I am reading between the lines——

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: ——in terms of what he said about the situation.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: The promotion of competition in the economy requires an effective legal framework. Strong competition legislation contributes to our competitiveness by penalising anti-competitive and anti-consumer behaviour, and by protecting the competitive process in all sectors of the economy. The positive effect competition has on consumers takes two forms. The most visible one is that companies that...

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: No, it is an important point.

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: To be effective, the Competition Authority needs evidence rather than mere suspicion of wrongdoing. It is important that complainants to the authority provide as much information as possible. The authority has published on its website and in its annual report information on how to make a complaint. All complaints are subject to a screening process. Any objective analysis of the Competition...

Reform of the Competition Act 2002: Motion. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: We do not accept Deputy Hogan's proposals on the category of super complaints. There is nothing stopping anyone from making a complaint to the Competition Authority. The studies undertaken by the authority in banking, insurance and engineering are all bearing fruit, leading to substantive and significant reforms.

Trade Union Representation. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: I understand this matter relates to an investigation conducted by the Competition Authority from March 2003 to June 2004 regarding possible price fixing among self-employed actors and advertising agencies. An agreement between Irish Actors Equity SIPTU, on behalf of the actors, and the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland, on behalf of advertising agencies, provided for both...

Trade Union Representation. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: Put in layperson's terms, it was a question of whether the actors in question were self-employed independent contractors, who are subject to the Act, or employees, who are generally not subject to the Act. The authority considered this issue to be particularly important in this case where the trade union has both employed persons and self-employed independent contractors as members. The...

Trade Union Representation. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: On the question of whether actors are "undertakings" within the meaning of the Competition Act, I understand that, as a starting point, the Competition Authority considered whether the Revenue Commissioners treated actors as employees subject to PAYE or as independent contractors. The authority's investigation revealed that the vast majority of actors in the State are not treated as PAYE...

Trade Union Representation. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: Actors providing advertising services generally are not obliged to work for a single advertising agency — they may work for several at the same time. Such actors generally do not receive the benefits one usually associates with a contract of employment. For example, they generally do not receive holiday pay, health insurance, maternity leave etc.

Trade Union Representation. (15 Nov 2005)

Micheál Martin: Such actors do not generally have employment security. They are free to accept or decline specific work as they see fit. Actors are not generally thought of as employees of a particular agency. In light of these factors, the Competition Authority took the view that actors are independent contractors and therefore are "undertakings" subject to the Competition Act. However, the authority also...