Results 521-540 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The report contains a total of 17 recommendations in respect of my Department. As already stated, eight have been accepted and will be implemented. We believe that four or five of the others are not appropriate and I can list these for the Deputy and provide reasons as to our why we perceive them in this way.

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Some of the recommendations will not provide the savings envisaged. The special group was interested in bringing about savings. One of its recommendations related to merging the Irish Takeover Panel with the Competition Authority. I am informed that such a merger could lead to an unnecessary policy conflict and would not be in line with best international practice. As a result, the...

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I will supply the list to the Deputy.

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I will also outline for Deputy Varadkar the reasons we believe we cannot approve four of five of them.

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I did give consideration to the recommendation that the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, and National Employment Rights Authority, NERA, be merged into a single workplace inspectorate. Again, however, radical differences arise in the context of the nature of these agencies and there are overlaps in their work. In the circumstances, we cannot see a merger becoming a reality or the savings...

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: As Deputies Varadkar and Penrose will testify, the legislation to which the Deputy refers was before the House quite recently. We are moving forward with this matter. Emergency legislation was introduced and another major Bill is being finalised at present. I hope to be in a position to publish the latter in September or October.

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The process relating to drafting the relevant legislation is extremely complex and a great deal of interaction took place between the Department and the Office of the Attorney General. I have increased the staffing complement dealing with this matter in my Department by bringing on board an official from the Office of the Attorney General. It is hoped we will now be in a better position to...

Departmental Agencies (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Deputy Bruton was not happy with it.

Loan Guarantees (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that work is under way in my Department on the examination of a possible scheme of loan guarantees for the SME sector which could augment lending by banks by addressing particular market failures. This is in line with one of the recommendations in the Mazars review on bank lending to SMEs. Enterprise Ireland and Forfás carried out examinations of loan guarantee...

Loan Guarantees (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Generally speaking, I implement the recommendations in reports. However, we must be careful in this instance. We have looked at the UK and other countries. The design of a loan guarantee proposal is of vital importance. If the design is not right the guarantee might supplement credit that is already available, which could cost the country much more in the long run. We asked Forfás to do...

Loan Guarantees (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are two issues here. First, we have increased the amount of credit available to SMEs through both banks. We hope that process will lead to greater availability of credit to small and medium sized businesses. Second, we do not want a loan guarantee to supplement that. Some of the medium sized businesses find it easier to get credit than smaller businesses. Approximately 30% of the...

Loan Guarantees (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I will answer the last question first. I will put the proposals in the Forfás report to Government before the summer recess. It will be a matter for Government to take the decision. I was also asked whether we have examined the Chilean system. Yes, we have. That has been taken into account in the FÁS and Enterprise Ireland reports. On the high level groups, it is fair to say we are...

EU Services Directive (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The regulations to bring the services directive - directive 2006/123/EC - into law under the European Communities Acts have almost been finalised. I hope to sign the regulations into law by the end of this month. Ireland is open for business as far as the directive is concerned, as we have been applying it administratively since January 2010. The purpose of the services directive is to...

EU Services Directive (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: From Ireland's point of view, it is important to have the Services Directive in place. The directive was supposed to be transposed into law-----

EU Services Directive (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: -----in December 2009, so we have been tardy in that respect. This is why I spoke to the Attorney General about the transposition of directives. I am delighted that a specialist has now been seconded to the Department from the Office of the Attorney General to assist with the transposition of directives, helping us to achieve this more efficiently and effectively than has been the case up...

EU Services Directive (16 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: This is why we in the Department are anxious to transpose the directive legally, although it is operating administratively. Along with IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and so on, we are anxious that indigenous companies in the services sector be given the opportunity to export these services, which should result in the creation of jobs at home.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (15 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In consultation with the Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works (OPW), my Department opened an advance office in Carlow on 30 July 2007 for the staff of the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) and the Companies Registration Office (CRO). It is my understanding from the OPW, who have primary responsibility for the procurement of suitable office accommodation for the...

Written Answers — Employment Figures: Employment Figures (15 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The industrial development agency figures for job gains and losses are compiled annually in the Forfás Annual Employment Survey, the most up to date of which details employment figures up until 2009. The figures are in respect of numbers of persons employed in firms assisted by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development, which come under the aegis of my Department. As the...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (15 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Since the onset of the global downturn, Agencies and groups associated with my Department, including Forfás, EI, IDA and the National Competitiveness Council, have examined the underlying factors affecting Ireland's competitive position and our ability to grow indigenous enterprise, as well as continue to attract mobile international investment, with a view to returning to economic growth....

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (15 Jun 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 94 together. The National Competitiveness Council's report, "Benchmarking Ireland's Performance", provides a comprehensive assessment of Ireland's competitiveness on an annual basis. Our competitiveness is derived from a complex set of factors, not all of which are within our control. The factors with the greatest influence on our competitiveness are...