Results 6,101-6,120 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

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

Mary Coughlan: Funding is available from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for the retraining of workers in EU Member States made redundant as a result of changing global trade patterns. Strict eligibility criteria apply to the making of applications under the Fund. My Department is considering whether these criteria may be met at the company referred to so as to facilitate the making of an...

Live Register. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The total number of people on the live register for January 2009 is 327,861, which is an increase of 146,412 since January 2008. The live register is not designed to measure unemployment, as it includes part time, seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment benefit. Employment and unemployment are measured by the quarterly national household survey and published by the Central...

Live Register. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I can only answer questions that are relevant to my Department. FÁS is the agency that provides the training opportunities for my Department.

Live Register. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy is as sincere as everybody else in the House about this issue, and I would like to tell him that we have a co-ordinated approach and we work within all the Departments that are relevant to training and upskilling. The Minister of State is involved in the co-ordination of the skills programme and the reorientation of the skills needs of workers. That is only a part of all that is...

Live Register. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I have had an opportunity to meet with all State agencies, including Údarás na Gaeltachta, which is part of a working group that took place last week between us and the banks where we examined new opportunities for investment. We also examined the issues the Deputy raised which are pertinent to all of us in business. We expressly said if we are to sustain employment and create new...

Work Permits. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: We note what the Deputy had to say. It is a different view from that which has been expressed by others but all of this must be considered in the context of bringing the matter to finality in a month's time.

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Government is determined to do all in its power to tackle the rise in numbers of people——

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: ——Deputy Naughten is good at writing to me about them too — finding themselves without work or with reduced working weeks. Our approach to tackling the issue is multi-layered and centres on restoring our public finances, protecting employment across the economy, retraining those without work, and attracting new investment and jobs to our shores. As regards strengthening our jobsearch...

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: First, I did not say anything to the newspapers. Anything I have to do will be in confines of the Cabinet sub-committee.

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Everything we are doing is activation. It is about getting people back into work and retraining. How that is done must be multifaceted because the people who are unemployed are coming from all types of skill bases and account must be taken of what will suit somebody with a particular skill less than FETAC 5, and over and above.

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: We are providing a complementary number of initiatives, for example, internships and graduate placement, an activation measure which can be Government sponsored or otherwise. We also have our community employment schemes. The Minister of State and I have been evaluating whether that can be expanded, one way or the other, and how that can be done, with the premise that it is an activation...

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: No, I referred to the framework.

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: We are not saying we are expanding community employment schemes, we are looking at the framework set down in such schemes. I am also saying that we only have specific funding and we must re-orientate it, as I am doing in my budget through FÁS, while other colleagues are doing likewise.

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: All of these initiatives are being considered because we have such a huge issue before us where we must support those in work as well as getting people back to work and training. There are children in school taking the leaving certificate and we must ensure there is a framework in place for them. It is an all-encompassing method by which we are reacting to the needs of the people.

FÁS Training Programmes. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Any and all ideas are being taken into consideration. New measures have been introduced, as I have outlined, and further measures are being worked on. There will be a balance between enterprise measures and activation measures to allow us to deal with the issue.

Employment Regulation Orders. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: That is what Deputy Varadkar wants to do.

Employment Regulation Orders. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: Does Deputy Varadkar believe in exploitation as well?

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy should stick to the facts.

Price Controls. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53, 68 and 95 together. I am aware of several recent media reports which have speculated on the introduction of price controls as a way of tackling prices. I have not made any commitment to the introduction of price controls. I have said that I will consider introducing legislation if I find certain retailers, or other elements of the supply chain, whose...

Price Controls. (24 Feb 2009)

Mary Coughlan: I refute the Deputy's remarks. As always, Deputy Varadkar moves off on a whim and goes for the facts afterwards. I do it the other way around. We have established the facts, that is, the cost of doing business. There continues to be a differential between North and South, taking into consideration all the competitive issues the Deputy addressed. I have met with retailers ad infinitum....