Results 681-700 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Enterprise Stabilisation Fund (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: This is a question appropriate to the Department of Finance. Obviously, this has been put in place. If the Deputy puts down a question to the Minister for Finance, I am sure he will get the appropriate answer.
- Enterprise Stabilisation Fund (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have no problem giving the exact details of it, but it is not specific to this question. I do not have the relevant data, but I know they are available and I would have no difficulty in getting the information from the Minister for Finance and making it available to the Deputy.
- Enterprise Stabilisation Fund (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: It is important to give the Deputy the facts and details before me. There was additional demand and some â¬58 million was paid in 2009 to 180 projects, which supported approximately 7,500 jobs. The remaining â¬20 million has been allocated to the fund for 2010. Therefore, from the launch of the scheme in 2009 to date, some 197 projects from 193 companies have been approved for funding....
- Enterprise Stabilisation Fund (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I also said there was â¬278 million available to Enterprise Ireland, which is a 26% increase in the overall funding to enterprise. The mechanisms in place in Enterprise Ireland are diverse and varied to suit various applications. If a company does not meet the criteria for the stabilisation fund, it is possible that it could be supported under a further mechanism under the aegis of...
- Enterprise Stabilisation Fund (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: We will not get an absolute evaluation of that until we have examined all the projects and seen their size. They could all be quite small projects which might not demand as much money as previous projects. Supports are available in diverse areas of expertise from Enterprise Ireland. If a company does not get support under the stabilisation fund, it is possible that it could get support...
- Grocery Industry (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The renewed programme for Government contains a specific commitment to "implement a code of practice for doing business in the grocery goods sector to develop a fair trading relationship between retailers and their suppliers" and "to review progress of the code and if necessary to put in place a mandatory code". The Government will give effect to this commitment by including a specific...
- Grocery Industry (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: With regard to "hello money", there are specific provisions in the Competition (Amendment) Act 2006 that prohibit both retailers and goods undertakings from being involved in the compelling of another undertaking. The Act also specifically prohibits retailers from compelling suppliers to make payments for providing space. I am aware that the committee has done much excellent work, but we...
- Grocery Industry (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I look forward to receiving that report in the context of the voluntary code of conduct that we hope will now be facilitated by the appointment of Mr. John Travers. Obviously, we will feed recommendations from the report into that process. However, it is important to stress that even though the legislation is still in place, nobody has come forward to state that they were compelled by a...
- Grocery Industry (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The legislation will allow the competition body to investigate complaints and will provide for sanctions. It will give extensive powers to the competition body to search premises and remove documents. The UK model, as the Deputy knows, still has a deficiency in that it is still trying to find an efficient and effective way to deal with the issue of how one compels. We are hoping that...
- Departmental Bodies (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Innovation Taskforce has identified an ambitious set of recommendations to transform Ireland into a global innovation hub and drive job creation in innovative export-focused sectors. Recent changes in departmental structures have brought innovation to the fore in my new Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, and the Deputy will be aware that the Government has asked that I...
- Departmental Bodies (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I would remind Deputy Clune that I when announced the establishment of an implementation group - it is an implementation group, not a review group-----
- Departmental Bodies (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: No, my statement stated, "... the next decade by implementing the report of the Innovation Taskforce". That is what was announced. The composition of the implementation group includes a majority of private sector persons - nine as against eight - and the idea is that private sector involvement will drive it. The Taoiseach has indicated clearly that it is a cornerstone of our jobs strategy...
- Departmental Bodies (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The taskforce as such was looking at a particular aspect of industry and how it could grow that industry. Certainly, its report would be seen as separate. They will merge because IDA Ireland will drive the foreign direct investment and Enterprise Ireland will be involved in the indigenous sector. What is important from my point of view is that there are parts of the strategy that can be...
- Departmental Bodies (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The second aspect is that there are cost implications in some of the taskforce report recommendations. I am entering into discussions with the Minister for Finance in terms of a capital budget rolling out over the next number of years to take account of the extra costs that will be involved in that report. Then there are other issues that have budget implications. That will be a matter for...
- Departmental Bodies (12 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: -----as a cornerstone of its job strategy, then one can only conclude that we are committed to it.
- Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (11 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: Measuring competitiveness is complex and requires an assessment of the full range of factors which enable firms to improve their productivity levels and compete in international markets. There are a number of international indices of competitiveness produced by international bodies, each with their own methodological constraints. The National Competitiveness Council's annual report,...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the name of my Department was officially changed on 2nd May last. Every effort has been made to keep costs, which will be provided from within my Department's existing resources, to a minimum. Where possible, work associated with the name change has been undertaken in-house, by the staff in my Department. The vast majority of the tasks, associated with my...
- Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (11 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department was notified by Enterprise Ireland on the 4th May of the proposed redundancies in Irish Cement, a subsidiary of the CRH group, and my officials have informed me that a voluntary redundancy package is being negotiated with the Unions involved. Irish cement has plants in Platin, County Louth and Castlemungret, County Limerick and the redundancies will be shared across both...
- Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (11 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The 2010 financial allocation to Limerick City Enterprise Board, and to each of the other 34 individual Enterprise Boards, is derived from the final allocation set out for my Department in the Revised Estimate as published on 18 February 2010. The 2010 budget allocation for the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) is â¬28.3m of which â¬14.994 is allocated for Capital Expenditure. This...
- Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (11 May 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: At present the Industrial Development agencies under the aegis of my Department use a range of schemes to attract internationally-traded Financial Services operations to all parts of the country. The schemes used are the same ones as are used to promote investment and employment in manufacturing or in other internationally-traded service operations. The schemes available to Financial Services...