Results 881-900 of 3,895 for speaker:John Halligan

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (21 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: Yes.

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (21 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: We are all working together.

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (21 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: I wish to make quite clear to Deputy Collins that the Bill will not be delayed. The Government will support the Bill and will not oppose it. As I said, there are some issues. We discussed the aspect of businesses that may have some difficulties. The One4all vouchers, for example, have a potential issue in that it is a business where a whole tranche of money is held by the company and put...

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (21 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: I am happy to contribute to the debate on this Bill and commend Deputy Niall Collins for bringing it before the House. It is progressive legislation. Although it is not the subject of this debate, I also commend Deputies Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall for introducing their Private Members' Bill, the Consumer Rights (Gift Vouchers) Bill 2017. The main provision of the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: I am here today to present the terms and conditions of Ireland's accession to the international research organisation, European Southern Observatory, otherwise known as ESO, as contained in the accession agreement circulated to members last week. This agreement was negotiated on behalf of Ireland by a team comprising officials from my Department, who are with me, experts from Ireland's...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: I will deal with the cost. Some previous reports had indicated greater savings based on the accession calculation for 2017. However, this was not based on the gross domestic product, GDP, nor net national income, NNI, which is the figure on which ESO calculates member states' rates. While Ireland's GDP increased significantly in 2015, the NNI did not reflect the same dramatic increase....

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: It is based on the net national income, NNI, of every country.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: As the members will know, I am a supporter of CERN. Representatives of CERN will come to Ireland in July and we will have a further meeting with them to discuss the prospects of joining CERN. People may ask why we are joining the European Southern Observatory, ESO, over CERN. The reason is very simple. Researchers and developers involved in astronomy in Ireland are regarded very highly...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: We will not be in a position to join CERN in 2018, in case members might think we can reach a deal in July and join in 2018. There will be protracted negotiations that will probably go on until the end of the year. We will most certainly have a look to see where we stand in terms of associate membership or full membership next year. We cannot join in 2018.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: To be frank, it is. The Department with the help of the members present have been fighting tooth and nail to ensure we get extra funding for the European Space Agency where we get a great return. I have addressed the Cabinet on the issue of joining ESO, which we think is very important for Ireland, our researchers, our universities and our businesses. It has been a tough fight for my...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: I should say the intense demands on the capital programme and the tight fiscal space we are in means that we did have to make a decision on the best organisation to join in view of the money we available right now. We chose to join ESO. We will meet representatives of CERN, as the Deputy said, in July and we will see whether we can negotiate a deal with it. As I said, and at the risk of...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: Yes. It might be worth having a look at a deal. I appreciate the Deputy's interest in the European Space Agency and CERN, I-LOFAR and so on. The Chairman has my word that we will keep the committee informed on how our negotiations with CERN go in July. After we meet them, we will talk to the committee as soon as we can. We cannot get the ratifications through without the support of the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: One would be a prominent astronomer in Ireland.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: Absolutely. My Department has always been upfront with representatives of the political parties, such as Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. We know the keen interest both Deputies have in research and development. We will feed back to the Deputies and the political parties because we require their support.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: I do not wish to be condescending to the members who have been so supportive of research and development. We are grateful for that. They have been incisive in their questions over the past number of months on all issues of research and development, which is important to us. We recognise that in the tight fiscal space money has to be spent on health, education, housing and so on, but we...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: It is excellent.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Southern Observatory Membership: Motion (20 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: We will be delighted to do so.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (19 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: Apprenticeship is a demand driven educational and training programme, which aims to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. Consequently, the number of apprentices being registered is determined by employers within each sector. My Department is committed to supporting the increased registration of apprentices across all sectors. New...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (14 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: In 2018, €122m has been allocated for apprenticeship training which represents an increase of almost 24% on the 2017 allocation of €98.7m. This will allow for the delivery of 10 new apprenticeship programmes and 6,197 new apprentice registrations as set out in the Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship 2016-2020. Future years' allocations will be determined...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (14 Jun 2018)

John Halligan: On 11 June I announced the allocation €8 million in Exchequer capital funding to Institutes of Technology for the purchase of equipment and enabling works for apprenticeship training. This allocation is separate and additional to the €122 million in current funding for apprenticeship allocated in 2018 from the National Training Fund.