Results 6,061-6,080 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Export Credit Insurance: Export Credit Insurance (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Since the State withdrew from the provision of Export Credit Insurance in 1998, exporters have been able to avail of such insurance on the open market, as commercial operators made such cover easily available and there was significant take-up of policies by exporters. However, it would appear that over recent months there is evidence that insurers have been reducing or withdrawing cover and...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Given the current employment and training challenges facing this country, my intention is that FÁS concentrate on its core mission of providing high quality training and employment services relevant to the needs of the labour market. Specifically, this means addressing the situation affecting redundant apprentices, training for the unemployed, providing supports to people with...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Director of Corporate Enforcement submitted a request for additional staffing resources in 2005. The submission set out the areas where additional staff would be assigned across the Compliance, Detection, Enforcement and Insolvency areas of the Office. In total, 20 additional staff were sought. Following a review of this request, my Department agreed in 2007 to sanction an additional...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: On 3 February 2009, the Taoiseach outlined to the Dáil a series of measures which the Government decided would need to be taken to achieve adjustments in public expenditure this year in the order of €2 billion. These measures include general administrative efficiencies and savings. It is envisaged that administrative efficiencies will be realised across the public service through...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Irish economy is now one of the most globalised in the world. As a consequence, the uncertainty created by the current international financial crisis has had a significant impact on our economy. Our comparative advantage will increasingly lie in the production of knowledge-intensive goods and services. With that in mind, a range of policies are being pursued to enhance competitiveness and...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Comptroller and Auditor General has commenced his wide-ranging investigation in FÁS, which includes internal controls, governance arrangements, marketing and advertising and specific follow-up of a number of matters raised in the course of hearings of the Committee of Public Accounts. The question of when the examination will be completed and when a report will be made available are...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: In relation to Enterprise Ireland, the agency calculates the cost per job sustained by taking into account all of its expenditure in relation to all of its clients. Only jobs created and sustained to the end of each seven-year period are taken into account in the calculations. For the period 2000 to 2006, the figure was €3,907 and for the period 2001 to 2007, the figure was €6,111. The...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Two Industrial Development agencies under the aegis of my Department, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, together with the relevant County Enterprise Boards (CEBs) are responsible for enterprise development in the regions in question. The primary role of IDA Ireland is the attraction of high quality Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Ireland. An integral and fundamental element of this role...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I wish to refer to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 133 of 17 February 2009. The Minister for Labour Affairs, Mr Billy Kelleher T.D met Mr Vladimir Å pidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities at the Informal European Council meeting held in Luhacovice in the Czech Republic on 23 January 2009 to discuss the contribution that the European...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: In June 2006 the Government approved revised fees for the non-executive chairperson and directors/members of state boards, effective from 1 January 2006. In accordance with that decision, from 1 January 2006 the fee for the Enterprise Ireland Chairperson is €24,000 per annum and the fee for Directors is €14,000 per annum. I have no plans to revise these fees.

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Price display law is covered by Orders made under the Prices Acts 1958 to 1972 and under the European Communities (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) Regulations 2002, Statutory Instrument No. 639 of 2002. The various Price Display Orders made under the Prices Acts 1958 to 1972 cover Drinks Display in Licensed Premises, Hairdressing Services, Petrol and Diesel and Restaurants. The...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Consumer Protection Act 2007, which commenced in May 2007, empowers the National Consumer Agency to prepare and publish Guidelines to traders in relation to matters of consumer welfare and protection and matters related to commercial practices. The Consumer Protection Act 2007 also empowers the Agency to review or approve Codes of Practice submitted to it by traders or their trade...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The current global economic situation continues to change rapidly adding a considerable degree of uncertainty to the accuracy of forecasts, nationally and internationally. There has however been a significant downturn in construction related activity since the beginning of 2008. The most recent provisional data available from the Central Statistics Office indicates numbers employed in...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I am keenly aware of the impact on Ericsson's employees and their families following the company's decision to reduce its workforce in Ireland by 300. IDA Ireland is working with the company on a continuous basis in an effort to secure further investments from other business units. I understand that Ericsson plans to reduce the level of R&D carried out in Western Europe to between 40% and...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The tables below outline the number of staff, broken down by grade, in my private and constituency office and in those of each Minister of State within my Department. The cost of each office in terms of salary and expenses for 2007 and 2008 is also included. These figures include ministerial salaries and expenses. It should be noted that the Office of the Minister for Science, Technology...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The relationship between Ireland and the United States is unique in terms of our political, economic and cultural links. The Government and I attach the highest importance to strengthening that relationship and in consolidating and growing the economic partnership between our two countries. That partnership has contributed enormously to the very significant trade and investment ties with the...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has no function in the matter of regulation of the debt collection agencies.

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99, 106, 124, 130 and 131 together. I very much regret the announced closure of the SR Technics operation at Dublin Airport. My most recent meeting on the matter was on Thursday last, 19 February, with a delegation representing the Trade Union interests in the Dublin operation, who outlined their concerns. Similar concerns have been relayed to me in the many...

Written Answers — Grocery Industry: Grocery Industry (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Following the repeal of the Restrictive Practices (Groceries) Order 1987 in March 2006, the Competition Authority was requested to review and monitor developments in the grocery sector in light of the new regulatory environment. As I have previously indicated to the Dáil, the Competition Authority presented two reports in March 2008, as part of the Grocery Monitor Project. The first...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102, 103 and 112 together. In December 2008, I met with Mr. Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Inc. in Austin, Texas. Mr. Dell was accompanied by a number of his senior managers. I was accompanied by the Minister for Defence, the Secretary General of my Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and by the Chief Executive of IDA Ireland. The purpose...