Results 6,081-6,100 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

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

Mary Coughlan: I welcome the report on FÁS by the Public Accounts Committee, which was published last week and I commend the Committee for the work carried out in this matter. I will be paying particular attention to the recommendations made and to the underlying rationale for making them. I note that while the report in general concentrates on the things that went wrong, the Committee is of the view that...

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

Mary Coughlan: There are nine staff in the Enterprise Development Unit of my Department. The Unit is part of the Enterprise and Agencies Division. Of the nine staff, four have a direct involvement with the early warning system at different times. The system relies on information initially provided by clients of the Industrial Development agencies to their respective agencies and then in turn to my...

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 in the order of €2 billion this year. These measures include a reduction in professional fees across the public service. The manner in which the reduction in professional fees is to be applied is currently being...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: There are currently a total of eight Directives due to be transposed by my Department up to 2012. Two of these Directives are currently overdue. The first of these, 2006/46/EC on company reporting, is expected to be transposed by 30 April 2009, while Directive 2006/43/EC on statutory audits of annual and consolidated accounts should be transposed by 31 May 2009. Full details on the state of...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: In the last three years FÁS were notified of the following numbers of apprentices who were made redundant: 2006 — 428 apprentices were recorded as redundant 2007 — 706 apprentices were recorded as redundant 2008 — 3,078 apprentices were recorded as redundant. The significant increase in these figures demonstrates the scale of the downturn in the construction sector, which has occurred...

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

Mary Coughlan: The Advisory Group on Media Mergers was established in 2008 to review the current legislative framework regarding the public interest aspects of media mergers. As I have previously indicated to the Dáil, the Group's Report, published on 2nd January 2009, and the eleven recommendations contained therein are being considered in the context of the ongoing wider review of the operation and...

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

Mary Coughlan: The Government is determined to do all in its power to tackle the rise in numbers of people finding themselves without work or with reduced working weeks. Our approach in tackling the issue is multi-faceted and centres on restoring our public finances, protecting employment across the economy, re-training those without work and attracting new investment and jobs to our shores. The Department...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I launched the Employer Based Redundant Apprentice Rotation Scheme on 29th December 2008. The scheme provides support to employers to provide on-the-job training to redundant apprentices while they have released their employed apprentice to a scheduled Phase 4 or Phase 6 off-the-job training phase in the Institutes of Technology. A total of €4 million has been allocated to the scheme to...

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

Mary Coughlan: Enterprise Ireland's remit is to work with Irish controlled manufacturing and internationally-traded services companies employing ten or more, innovative high-potential growth start-up companies, and overseas owned companies in the food, drink and timber sectors. The services sector is a key focus of Enterprise Ireland. A dedicated International Services Business Unit was established in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Payment and repayment of grants are day-to-day operational matters for the Industrial Development agencies. I do not have any role in the day-to-day operations of these agencies.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: It is proposed to deliver 67 additional full-time training courses in 2009. These courses will be delivered under the FÁS Training Initiatives Strategy, which enhances the traditional mix of courses currently being offered by FÁS. The initiative is designed for highly employable persons who wish to add to their existing skills set and improve their prospects of re-entering the labour market.

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

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 133 together. 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...

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

Mary Coughlan: In 2008 there were 90,342 persons in permanent employment in Enterprise Agency-assisted International Traded and Financial Services firms; the attached Table shows the number of full-time jobs created and lost in similar sectoral firms between 2004 and 2008. As one of the most globalised economies in the world, the uncertainty created by the current international financial crisis has had a...

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

Mary Coughlan: Ireland is currently experiencing an economic downturn and a general slowdown in employment in all sectors. Indeed many countries throughout Europe and around the world are experiencing similar difficulties in their labour markets. The global economic turmoil makes it difficult to predict the outcome for job creation in 2009. The Government is, however, taking specific measures to address...

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

Mary Coughlan: The sale of insurance products is essentially regulated by the Financial Regulator under the Central Bank Acts and as such I have no direct function in the matter.

Written Answers — Retail Sector: Retail Sector (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The current economic climate is creating difficult trading conditions for all sectors of the economy, including the retail sector. In these circumstances it is all the more important that we ensure that Irish businesses remain competitive so that they can compete in the marketplace. In this regard I am fully conscious of the findings of the recent Forás report into the retail sector which...

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

Mary Coughlan: The latest forecasts from the Department of Finance, as set out in the January Stability Programme Update, indicate that job losses will exceed gains with employment contracting by around 85,000 or 4% for the year as a whole. Notwithstanding this the level of employment in the economy will be close to 2 million as a result of the substantial employment gains made since the mid-1990's....

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

Mary Coughlan: In relation to manufacturing and internationally traded services, IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. IDA's main focus on securing investment from new and existing clients is in the areas of High End Manufacturing, Global Services (including Financial Services) and Research, Development and...

Written Answers — FÁS Services: FÁS Services (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: My Department, through FÁS, is taking a number of steps in order to meet the greater demands arising from the economic downturn. In the context of job search supports, FÁS is working to provide sufficient front-line staff in the National Employment Service to provide for a major increase during 2009 of Employment Action Plan (EAP) referrals from the Department of Social and Family Affairs...

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

Mary Coughlan: Maintaining the competitiveness of the enterprise sector in Ireland is a priority issue for my Department and our development agencies. In order to sustain and grow the manufacturing sector, Irish based manufacturing enterprises will be encouraged and assisted to continue the progression to high value added sectors and activities, and continue to increase productivity through investments in...