Results 1,181-1,200 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Other Questions: IDA Data (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 39 together. IDA Ireland owns five business parks and one greenfield site in north Dublin. The agency also markets a business park in Blanchardstown which has been developed as a joint venture with Fingal County Council. There are 696 IDA Ireland client companies in Dublin. I understand that the agency does not track the number of people the...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: IDA Ireland maintains statistics in relation to site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. During 2016 there was a total of 20 IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to County Sligo. This was up from seven in 2014 representing a 185% increase. There were eight site visits to County Leitrim in 2016, up from two in 2014 representing a 300% increase. It is...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I acknowledge that Deputy McLoughlin and I have had numerous conversations in County Sligo. County Sligo is close to my heart because while my family is from Galway, most of them live in County Sligo. Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and the LEOs are all working hard to ensure that jobs are landed. A wonderful new IDA advance factory has been built in Sligo and I am hopeful that we...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I agree, Chair. Deputy McLoughlin mentioned Sligo Institute of Technology which is a wonderful place. I have met the institute's president and there are fantastic courses being offered there. As the Deputy may know, when companies come to Sligo that college runs courses to make sure there is a pool of talent ready. There is also a wonderful tourism sector in the area. Some 584 new jobs...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am informed that, for reasons of commercial sensitivity and client confidentiality, IDA Ireland does not comment on upcoming site visits by potential investors. The agency maintains statistics in relation to site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. The latest data available cover 2016 only. During 2016 there was a total of two IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by...

Other Questions: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: On 15 January 2017, the European Parliament voted in favour of the provisional application of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, better known as CETA. This is part of the democratic process as set out in the treaties for the approval of international trade agreements. Provisional application is a standard part of a trade agreement and allows those parts of the...

Other Questions: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I have seen letters in agreement with CETA and I have also seen other letters. I will double-check and get Deputy Collins the exact details. I hear exactly what the Deputy is saying. Substantive engagement took place, sector by sector, to identify Ireland's interests over the course of the negotiations. We looked at the elimination of virtually all tariffs between Ireland and Canada. We...

Other Questions: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The majority of the provisions of CETA will be provisionally applied. Chapter 8 on investment shall only be provisionally applied in so far as it relates to foreign direct investment. Chapter 13 is about financial services and it shall not be provisionally applied in so far as it applies to the portfolio investment, protection of investment or investment dispute settlement. That was one of...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I hear exactly what the Deputy is saying. Without doubt, the programme for research in third level institutions, PRTLI, has been an important part of the research funding and it has provided dedicated large-scale research funding for colleges to implement their research strategies and fund the people, equipment and buildings to go with them. The PRTLI has involved €1.2 billion of...

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In 2016, Ireland moved from 16th to seventh in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, and from 24th to 23rd in the 2016 World Economic Forum, WEF, Global Competitiveness Report. The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business report shows Ireland is ranked 18th, ahead of the UK in terms of ease of starting a business and paying tax but behind in the overall rankings. Ireland's improved...

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In budget 2017, the Government reduced capital gains tax to help entrepreneurs, bringing this relief more in line with that in operation in the UK. We are providing a lower 10% level of capital gains tax for entrepreneurs on disposals of qualifying assets up to a lifetime limit of €1 million. Capital gains tax entrepreneurial relief introduced in 2017 provides for a reduced CGT rate...

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am aware of the €480 million drop in the value of exports and not in the amount of exports.

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am absolutely conscious of the problem and the issues in the agrisector and with regard to agrifood. I assure the Deputy I have been in touch with Bord Bia. I work very closely with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine to make sure our agribusinesses can compete. Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices are on the same page. We are working towards it and we will be...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I work very hard to ensure that this will happen, not just with the IDA but with Enterprise Ireland, our LEOs and InterTradeIreland. Despite what Deputy Niall Collins said, I am still coming back with hard figures to him. In 2016, 52% of all jobs created were outside Dublin as were 55% of all site visits. At the same time, we have to be realistic. There is a global trend to base foreign...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I have just told Deputy Collins that there were 638 sites visits altogether and I called out a number of counties, not just Limerick, albeit I pointed out that Limerick had been successful, as had Galway, Louth and Sligo.

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: That is if one is counting site visits as successes, which I do not. I see the landing of jobs in those areas as the success.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: While the full extent of any impact of Brexit on research in Ireland will only become evident as the Brexit situation unfolds, Science Foundation Ireland, an agency of my Department, is actively working on measures we can take to maximise the opportunities as well as mitigate the risks. We are taking a positive and proactive approach to supporting our research and innovation sector in light...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The PRTLI programme has been allocated €14.4 million. While this figure is small relative to recent years, the historic liabilities in cycle 5 are close to being paid down in full. We are at an early stage in terms of the design of the successor to PRTLI cycle 5. As such, it has yet to be decided whether there will be any specific Brexit-related component to the programme. However,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Some 3,368 jobs are supported by IDA Ireland in Tipperary. The Deputy has not even mentioned Enterprise Ireland. They support 5,352 jobs there.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Deputy Mattie McGrath does not want to hear anything. All he wants to do is shout.