Results 7,621-7,640 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: It will be next year.

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: There is a promise for Foreshore Act reform. There has not been a date as yet. As the Deputy will know, a transfer of functions is taking place with some going to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which will be specific to those issues to which the Deputy referred.

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: It is still with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Part of it will. The foreshore issues relating to wind energy and those ancillaries will move to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Piers and harbours will remain with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Yes, it is intended to have it published before the House rises.

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: It is proposed to take No. a11, motion re membership of committees; No. b11, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development Regulations (Amendment) 2008; No. 11, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Employment Equality Act 1998 (section 12) (Church of Ireland College of Education) Order 2008; No. 12, motion re...

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I will respond first to the points made about today's Order of Business. I was of the opinion that the party leaders at least would be familiar with or have been given a background note on these proposals. I am asked the same question every Thursday on these types of motions. I propose that in future, in respect of all motions coming back from committee, a short briefing be made available...

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Committee meetings sometimes finish late but we will ask that each clerk make a note available to all the relevant parties. That will address the issue. Deputy Burton asked specifically about the motion being referred to committee, No. b11. This refers to the fact that there is duplication of consent procedures. Where, for example, permissions are given under ecological perspectives,...

Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I am not familiar with them.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (25 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: In view of the volume of Directives involved in the 35 years since 1973, I am not in a position to provide the Deputy with a list of the numbers and titles of those Directives. However, all such Directives are published in the Official Journals of the European Communities. Full details of all current and recent EU Directives are maintained on the Departmental website, www.entemp.ie. There...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 231 together. My Department is keeping the possibility of making an application to the European Globalisation Fund under review. This involves the monitoring of available redundancy data for Ireland and assessing whether the necessary criteria of the European Globalisation Fund have been met. In addition, an application to the European Globalisation...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The facts as stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 286 of 20 May 2008 are accurate. I have asked officials in my Department to review the Freedom of Information request referred to by the Deputy and they will contact the Deputy on this matter in the near future.

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (24 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: A number of measures have been introduced in recent years to further strengthen the legislative framework and resources to detect and prosecute breaches of company and competition legislation. Alongside other measures contained in the Companies Act that regulate the activities of companies, recent protections against market abuse including "insider dealing" were introduced by the Market...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 23 together. Ireland is a signatory to both International Labour Organisation Conventions No. 87 on the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise 1948 and No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention 1949 since 1955 and Ireland's laws have been in compliance with these conventions since that date. Ireland...

Written Answers — Food Prices: Food Prices (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 123 together. I am aware of the concerns raised in the Deputies' questions and in a number of surveys that consumers may not be experiencing the benefits of the Euro's appreciation in value, particularly against the dollar and sterling and I too share those concerns. Indeed the latest survey published by the National Consumer Agency yesterday comparing...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: In March 2008, the Government decided to reduce the administrative burden of domestic regulation on business by 25% by 2012. Initially, all Government Departments will be required to list the Information Obligations which their regulations impose on business. From that listing, Departments will assess which requirements are the most burdensome and will then measure the actual cost to...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 32 and 68 together. The report referred to by the Deputy was an internal FÁS report which was produced by the FÁS Board sub-committee on the construction/contracting sector and discussed by the FÁS Board. It was produced to allow the Agency to respond in an appropriate and effective matter to ongoing developments in the construction industry and to...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 67 together. In 2008 nearly €246 million is being invested in the provision of training and upskilling programmes for the unemployed. This represents an increase of 5.7% on that spent in 2007. This training ranges from basic bridging foundation courses to more advanced skills training and traineeship. In addition to this €377 million will be...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The development of the knowledge-based economy is one of the key challenges and opportunities facing Ireland. The factors which have contributed to our economic success to date will not be sufficient to sustain our recent achievements. Increasing international competition is creating pressure for improvements in efficiency, quality and productivity and a growing need to innovate. These...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (19 Jun 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Forecasting employment figures is a perilous business and subject to a variety of unforeseen, often extraneous, variables influencing estimates of that nature. However, I still expect employment growth — being the excess of jobs created over jobs lost — to continue in 2008, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. In the Budget Outlook employment is forecast to grow by over 1% in...