Results 961-980 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Competitiveness (16 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: As Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, my focus is on improving Ireland’s competitiveness performance. Furthermore, my Department and the Government are very conscious of the need for a sustained focus on ensuring Ireland is an attractive location for mobile international and indigenous investment. In December the National Competitiveness Council published Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Eligibility (16 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I, and officials in my Department and Agencies, have ongoing contact with the Minister for Finance and his officials in relation to enterprise tax policy matters. The Government and I are committed to ensuring that Ireland will continue to provide a competitive offering, including tax offering, to attract FDI and to ensure that our entrepreneurs establish and scale in Ireland. These...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Competitiveness (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Enterprise 2025 sets out a total of 30 metrics against which success of our policies can be measured over time. In terms of overarching national outcomes one of the metrics relates to Ireland's competitiveness. The  metric used is sourced from the World Bank Doing Business. Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1–190. A high ease of doing business...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Exports Data (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: For Ireland as a small open economy, sustainable long term growth is dependent on continued success in international markets. Although the global economy has been in a low growth phase over the last five years, Ireland’s internationally traded sector has driven solid economic growth, demonstrating its ability to rebound following a deep recessionary period. Our export led strategy is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Exports Data (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The evidence provided by the report, Expanding and diversifying the manufactured exports of Irish-owned enterprises April 4, 2017, undertaken by the ESRI on behalf of my Department and Enterprise Ireland, highlights the balance of exports between multinational corporations and indigenous enterprises. This research on manufacturing exports examines how firms launch, adapt, diversify and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The latest report by the National Competitiveness Council highlights how the challenges posed by Brexit provide urgent impetus to pursue policies that enhance our competitiveness performance. The Council's report provides a timely reminder of Ireland's strengths, which need to be protected and enhanced, and also of areas where we need to remain vigilant and accelerate progress on...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Fund for Strategic Investments (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is an initiative launched jointly by the EIB Group (European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund) and the European Commission to help overcome the current investment gap in the EU by mobilising private financing for strategic investments. EFSI is one of the three pillars of the Investment Plan for Europe that aims to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: IDA Ireland maintains statistics of site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis only. In the first quarter of 2017, there were 173 site visits, up from 136 for the same period in 2016.  The table sets out, on a county-by-county basis, the number of IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits for the first quarter of 2017. Site Visits by County, 2016 and Quarter 1 2017 County 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Government is conscious of the need to consider the types of supports that Irish businesses may require to address challenges arising as a result of the Brexit Referendum, which is likely to represent a structural shift in the UK trading relations.  Short, medium and long term responses from market diversification through to price repositioning will be needed. On foot of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Central Bank of Ireland (11 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Central Bank delivers effective regulation and supervision in achieving its mandate of safeguarding financial stability and protecting consumers. It carries out its functions in the context of a harmonised approach to financial regulation across the European Union. A key element in sustaining Ireland's attractiveness to financial services providers is the Central Bank's...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department has been working with the Department of Finance, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Enterprise Ireland and the SBCI to build an understanding of the business needs of companies in adapting to the challenges posed by Brexit and to develop appropriate and targeted responses to support them. Based on this work, I recently secured the agreement of the Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department has been working with the Department of Finance, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Enterprise Ireland and the SBCI to build an understanding of the business needs of companies in adapting to the challenges posed by Brexit and to develop appropriate and targeted responses to support them. Based on this work, I recently secured the agreement of the Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Employment Permits Section informs me that it has no record of an employment permit application in relation to the named individual. I note that you refer to the extension of a working holiday Visa which is about to expire. I would advise that the individual make contact with INIS, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service. Contact details are on the INIS website at...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Enterprise Stabilisation Fund (ESF) was established by Government to support viable but vulnerable exporting companies who were experiencing difficulties due to the economic crisis which started in 2008.   The State Aid basis for the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund is the Temporary Aid Framework 2008.  Based on this derogation from the EU, the ESF was open for applications for the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Official Engagements (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My colleague the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment has informed me that the forty-sixth sessions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Body for Implementation and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, as well as the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement, will take place from 8 to 18 May 2017, in...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank Senator Norris for his warm welcome. However, I cannot accept amendment No. 1. The effect of this amendment would be to repeal section 363 of the Companies Act 2014. That section includes a long-standing rule that a company loses its entitlement to an exemption from audit if it files its annual returns late. Before I set out my specific concerns with the amendment, I want to...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We require small companies to file on a certain date. They do it every year. It is a bit like one's birthday in that it comes every year and they know it.

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We do not think it is that onerous to ask companies to file every year at the same time and on the same date. We both agree that 90% of companies are compliant. We want our companies to be compliant. The Senator made a passing comment, which I want to take him up on, namely, that the Civil Service likes the status quo. This is in fact a progressive Bill. For example, we have introduced a...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: There is a belief that companies have a right to be exempted. That is not the case. For example, there is a long-standing rule that a company loses its entitlement to an exemption from an audit if it files its annual returns late. I agree the audit exemption is an important cost-saving benefit for companies, as well as for transparency. It is important for employees and creditors to know...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am not in favour of this amendment. As I told the Senators during Committee Stage, the CLRG, a statutory body, has undertaken to examine and recommend ways in which company law and indeed the wider legislative code could be potentially amended to ensure better safeguards for companies, employees and unsecured creditors. To this end, I understand that the CLRG has convened a sub-committee...