Results 50,561-50,580 of 51,089 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Employment Action Plan: Employment Action Plan (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: I assume the Deputy is referring to the national employment action plan which is produced annually by my Department. The plan is Ireland's response to the European employment strategy, or EES. The strategy is the process used to implement the employment objectives of the Lisbon Agenda. The employment guidelines which flow from the EES have set three overarching objectives. These are full...

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: My Department no longer regulates insurance companies as this responsibility has passed to the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, IFSRA, under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Finance, who has overall responsibility for policy and legislation on the provision of financial services in Ireland. The Minister for Transport has taken over the lead role in policy and...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 140 together. Support for job creation and investment on a regional or local basis is a day-to-day operational matter for the industrial development agencies. The agencies promote actively all areas for new investment and jobs on an ongoing basis. IDA Ireland markets individual areas as locations for additional foreign direct investment through its...

Written Answers — Construction Sector: Construction Sector (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: Employment in the construction sector, which includes the house-building sector, increased by 7.6%, or 14,600, in the 12-month period to end May 2004. In the period 1997-2003, employment in the sector increased by approximately 65%. A number of reports have been produced commenting on the future of the construction sector. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 146 together. The preparatory stages of the employment permits Bill have taken longer than expected due to the change in labour market circumstances and the need to achieve greater clarity and simplicity than the original draft provided for. I expect to publish the Bill during the current Dáil term. The Minister of State with responsibility for labour...

Written Answers — Workplace Absenteeism: Workplace Absenteeism (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: While I share concern about the cost to business of absenteeism, I have no direct function in the matter.

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: In determining the allocations for individual city and county enterprise boards in 2004, my Department adopted a systematic approach to ensure the maximum degree of objectivity and equity of treatment. This approach involved the provision of funding calculated on the basis of a standard allocation to each board as well as an additional allocation determined mainly by population but which also...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment to Ireland, including its regions and areas. In 2003, a total of 32 green field and expansion job creation projects were announced by IDA Ireland. These projects have a projected total job content of nearly 5,600 and were achieved against a background where there were fewer companies...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: The number of redundancies notified to my Department in the years specified were 13,316 in 2000, 19,977 in 2001, 25,358 in 2002, 27,702 in 2003 and 20,127 to the end of October, 2004. The corresponding figure to the end of October 2003, was 22,509 which means an 10.6% decrease in the number of redundancies notified to my Department so far this year. It is not possible to project what the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: Support for job creation and retention in individual counties is a day-to-day operational matter for the industrial development agencies. IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment to Ireland, including its regions and areas. The agency is actively promoting Tralee for new investment and jobs on an ongoing basis. IDA Ireland is...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: The National Competitiveness Council in both its annual competitiveness reports published last month and in its statement on prices and costs published in September have identified the need to recover Ireland's cost competitiveness as being a high priority to ensure sustained economic success in the future. The National Competitiveness Council in its competitiveness challenge 2004 make...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: Child care and housing are the primary responsibility of my colleagues, the Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I am not aware of any proposals to assess the impact of costs in these areas on competitiveness. The National Competitiveness Council monitors and reports on Ireland's competitiveness position. Each year...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: The initiatives and recommendations set out in the LLL report focus on promoting and enhancing access to learning-training, the development of new skills, the acquisition of recognised qualifications and progression to higher level qualifications. The task force stressed the need for co-ordination between the Departments of Education and Science and Enterprise, Trade and Employment and called...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: An appeal was received from the employer concerned on 1 November 2004 and is still under consideration. A decision will be made in this case shortly and the employer will be notified.

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: According to the National Competitiveness Council's statement on prices and costs, Ireland's expenditure on life insurance ranked fifth highest out of 16 countries, behind Switzerland, the US, the Netherlands and the UK. There has been an improvement in the functioning of the Irish insurance market. The Irish Insurance Federation recently revealed that the 20 non-life insurance companies...

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: A comparison of insurance figures in European countries is available in European Insurance in Figures — June 2003, published by the Comité Européen Des Assurances, CEA. This report contains details on "Average non-life premium per inhabitant" and the figures include motor and public liability insurance. Figures for 2001 show that, of 29 European countries listed, Ireland ranked fourth...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: Details of funding in support of employment and training schemes delivered through agencies under the remit of my Department will be contained in the Abridged Estimates Volume which is to be published later this week.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: Details of funding in support of employment and training schemes delivered through agencies under the remit of my Department will be contained in the Abridged Estimates Volume which is to be published later this week.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: The number of new work permit applications granted from 1 January 2004 to date and the number granted in previous years is as follows: Year Number 2004 8,882 2003 21,932 2002 23,306 2001 29,542 2000 15,328 1999 4,323

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (16 Nov 2004)

Micheál Martin: The number of work permit applications granted and refused in the past five years is as follows:— Year Granted Refused 2004 29,447 1,264 2003 47,492 1,629 2002 40,284 1,072 2001 36,375 736 2000 17,872 352 1999 6,244 277