Results 11,401-11,420 of 11,979 for speaker:Billy Kelleher

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: ——on this matter, it is important to point out that many of these people are ordinary carpenters, masons and chippies who made some money, bought a site and developed it.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I am quite sure that Deputy Stagg is now referring to those people, which is somewhat flippant. The bailout is not a €400 million guarantee as if the money was handed over. It was done to create stability and provide liquidity so that banks could operate in an economy where credit is available to people who want to invest in their small businesses, for house extensions or the purchase of...

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: We want to ensure that we have a healthy banking system.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: It proves one thing. If the Labour Party were in Government we would still be talking about this issue, the banks would have gone to the wall and the economy would be suffering greatly because they would not have been able to make a decision.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Labour Party referred to what the Government is not doing. I wish to talk about the serious issue of redundant apprentices. It is a major challenge for everybody concerned to try to ensure that those who have almost finished their apprenticeship courses can complete them. We are looking at that issue.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: A much-maligned — by other Deputies — organisation, FÁS, has looked at this issue actively——

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: If the Deputy wants me to outline the proposals I will.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I only have five minutes and would like to go through that in particular.

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: In one particular area we have reduced the course to ensure they can go onto their next off-work placement, back into the institutes, back into their apprenticeships and can train themselves up. In the meantime, FÁS has also expanded the whole area of insulation of houses, installation of solar panels and those schemes——

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: ——where there are potential job opportunities in the changing environment. While the Labour Party suggests nothing is being done, in that area alone——

Unemployment: Motion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I also wish I had more time. I would have liked to have outlined many of the policies we are bringing forward. There were some issues in the motion that were reasonably positive until the Labour Party Deputies came up with the usual negative tactics that unfortunately come from those benches too often. By the way Deputy Kathleen Lynch should not throw the letters in the fire; she should...

Written Answers — Work Life Balance: Work Life Balance (7 Oct 2008)

Billy Kelleher: A value for money review of the 2008 work life balance campaign has not yet been conducted by my Department as part of the Value for Money and Policy Review Initiative which is intended to prioritise significant areas of expenditure within the context of my Department's overall Vote. The National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies organised the 8th annual Work Life Balance Day...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (30 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Employment Permits Section has no record of an application for a work permit in respect of the above named.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (30 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Employment Permits Section has no record of an application for a work permit in this case. However, if the employer or proposed employee wishes to submit an application it will be considered on its merits.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (25 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The following table sets out the number of permits sought and issued on a monthly basis during each of the past five years: Year Month New Permits Renewals Group Issued Refused 2008 6,822 4,342 0 11,164 1,846 Jan 1,076 1,096 0 2,172 245 Feb 785 821 0 1,606 197 Mar 618 504 0 1,122 188 Apr 763 444 0 1,207 207 May 705 385 0 1090 223 Jun 764 324 0 1,088 232 Jul 964 269 0 1,233...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (25 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: An application was received in respect of the person in question on the 23 January 2008. This application was refused on the grounds that it is current Government policy to issue new employment permits for highly skilled, highly paid positions or to non-EEA nationals already legally resident in the State on existing valid employment permits. Furthermore the position on offer was one of the...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: Trade unions who hold a negotiating licence are free to engage in collective bargaining on wages and conditions of employment. Ireland's system of industrial relations is based on a voluntary approach with terms and conditions of employment being determined in the main by a process of voluntary collective bargaining between the parties, without the intervention of the State. The collective...

Written Answers — Workplace Accidents: Workplace Accidents (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136, 141 and 159 together. The number of deaths recorded in workplace accidents during 2007 was 67 compared to 51 in 2006 with a considerable amount of this increase being accounted for by a number of fishing accidents. Of the 2007 total, 18 occurred in the construction sector. This was an increase of 5 fatal accidents on the 2006 figure. The construction...

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The number of employment rights inspections/visits/calls undertaken by the Inspection Services of the National Employment Rights Authority in 2008 to date is 21,711. During the same period in 2007 some 7,189 inspections/visits/calls were undertaken. Of the 21,711 inspections/visits/calls to date in 2008, breaches were detected in 3,502 cases. In the same period in 2007 breaches were...

Written Answers — Statutory Redundancies: Statutory Redundancies (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The table of figures below shows the actual number of employees who were paid statutory redundancy lump sums on a year by year basis from January 2002 to end August 2008. This does not reflect those who lost their jobs having less than two years service in an employment as this does not qualify for payment under the Redundancy Acts. My Department carried out an analysis last year in which...