Results 7,781-7,800 of 8,245 for speaker:Bríd Smith

Order of Business (27 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: Are you refusing to ask the House?

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Help Service Data (27 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: 542. To ask the Minister for Health to set out the number of home help hours provided by the HSE annually since 2008; the total budget allocated by the HSE for Home Help hours since 2008; and the number of home help hours provided by private health companies and paid for by the HSE or his Department since 2008. [26458/16]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Drugs Availability (27 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: 676. To ask the Minister for Health the names of all drugs which have been removed from or had any restrictions placed upon their use under the general medical services, GMS, medical card scheme since 2014; the numbers of new patients affected by their removal or restriction; the number of patients affected by the newly introduced standard operating for discretionary hardship arrangements,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: I thank the Minister. I want to ask a few questions under subhead A5 on the job announcements in IDA Ireland-supported client companies. The one that jumps out is Uber. If people do not know, Uber is a very large, smart company that provides an application for people to perform taxi business. As I understand it, 100 jobs were initially created, mainly in the Limerick area. My research...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: The other companies include Credit Suisse, Amazon and, in particular, Uber. I will come back later to the wider points I wanted to raise about microfinance and how we do not seem to support local small and medium-sized enterprises as much. I want to ask some questions about this in terms of making a comparison. Those are all the questions I have on subhead 5.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: It is an employment rights issue and that is why I am querying it. Is the Minister aware of Uber’s record in our neighbouring country, Brexit and all? Our neighbouring country has many cases going before the courts of abuse of employment rights by Uber. We have many complaints coming to us as well. We will bring them to the Minister’s attention.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: I understand. Gabh mo leithscéal, a Chathaoirligh. I am not asking the Minister to tackle workers’ rights issues today. I am asking her to justify how public money is being spent on companies such as Uber, Coca Cola, Amazon and Credit Suisse. Why are we supporting global companies with poor records on workers’ rights? What money are we spending on them? Surely, that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: I thank the Minister but I am afraid this Deputy is concerned about the status of employment, the level of decent jobs and the pay workers receive. They may not be among the 187,000 but there are a significant number of them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: No, my question was not-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: I think my question is being mis-read or misunderstood, whether it is deliberate. Why are we supporting global companies which need support least when we have local enterprises that need support? One of the reasons for my query-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: I think the Minister wants to respond to my question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: My question relates to the briefing we received and access to finance. The briefing, on page 33, shows us that Microfinance Ireland, MFI, since it was set up in late 2012, approved €14.1 million in loans to 944 businesses supporting just over 2,000 jobs across all sectors and every county, and in 2015 approximately two thirds of approved loans went to support start-up companies....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: So it says here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: Can the Minister explain why there is nothing there for 2016?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: The Minister is now saying she will seek funding. In this document, it states she may look for more funding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: Is the Minister giving a commitment that she will?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: There is no doubt about that. I am merely clarifying that the Minister will rather than may seek more funding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: I thank the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: Enforcement is hugely important. The WRC rearrangement will probably take some time to bed down but it will be beneficial in the long term. Up to now, someone applying for retribution because employment law was not being fairly applied could wait four or five years to have an unfair dismissals case heard. Hopefully, this will end and workers' cases will be heard within a reasonable period....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Bríd Smith: It is part of this section.