Results 1,281-1,300 of 4,491 for speaker:John Perry

Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: On the level of funding, the Deputy has not been correctly advised because the Government is investing €50 million over three years.

Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: Yes. The loan guarantee is €450 million, the innovation funding is €200 million, there is also NPRF funding and €150 million is being put in from the innovation fund. Therefore, considerable funding is being provided. With regard to the difficulty in terms of opportunities for business, the microfinance fund is a good start-up fund. It was very successful in Dublin...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: It is not possible to consult in a vacuum. We are consulting with people to best define the needs of small businesses. If the Deputy has read the consultation paper in depth, he has been very quick in stating that it is a climb down by the Government to engage in consultation. It is very difficult to go out and discuss an issue without a major document on which we have worked tirelessly in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: It must be just the Deputy, because they are not saying it to me.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I have met representatives of ISME several times and the Deputy should look at the statement it issued yesterday. The county enterprise boards have been very effective. Our job at the moment is the consultation process. We are bringing businesspeople into the heart of decision making locally involving representatives of business and local government. The Deputy will know from his county...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: There is no inertia with enterprise boards. An additional €3.5 million was allocated to enterprise boards last week. They are working actively at the moment. We are not changing Government policy - we are listening in order to refine the policy. We are setting up centres of excellence and a one-stop shop for business in every county. Our job is to integrate the best of Enterprise...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Protection (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: The retail and wholesale sector employs 258,000 people in Ireland, almost 15% of our total workforce. That sector has suffered heavy job losses in this recession, shedding over 55,000 jobs. The retail sector is very much dependent on domestic demand and this has suffered a substantial fall in the course of the crisis. All of the Government programmes designed to restore economic...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Protection (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I totally disagree with Deputy Calleary on this issue. This Government has done a lot more than the last Administration.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Protection (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: We have stated clearly what we are doing. We have brought in the loan guarantee and the microfinance schemes that the Fianna Fáil Party could not bring in. We have established the advisory group to Government and there are clear actions for job creation outlined in the action plan for jobs.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Protection (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: The Deputy must recognise the role of banks in retailing; it is all about viability. The policy of the last Government left 13,000 unoccupied square feet per head of population. That was Fianna Fáil's ideology.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Protection (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: The last Government talked about the microfinance loan fund for two years and we have introduced it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Protection (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: It is now in place with the partial loan guarantee. We cut the lower rate of VAT, halved the lower rate of employers' PRSI and increased the employers' PRSI exemption. We introduced numerous initiatives and I can go through the action plan for jobs outlining each measure. One of the first things we did was reform the wage setting mechanism. We extended employers' PRSI, encouraged all...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: The Deputy will be aware that as part of the action plan for jobs, the Government announced a plan for a major reform of the existing support structure for micro and small enterprises in February this year. The aim is to create a centre of excellence within Enterprise Ireland for small business support; to establish a first stop-shop at local level for the support of small and micro...

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Relief Schemes (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I can understand the concern and frustration of people on this issue. The letters have gone out to the legal people. It is important there is a response from people's legal representatives because issues can get lost in legal offices. The Deputy can be assured that what the Minister has stated will happen. It is important people react in a positive way and that their legal teams respond....

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Hospitals Report (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I will be brief.

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Hospitals Report (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, is conscious of Deputy Sean Fleming's final point. It is accepted that the HSE needs to consider alternative accommodation. This is the Minister of State's top priority. The HSE has a firm plan of action. This work will be done. As the funding is available, it is only a matter of getting on with the job. In the interim, alternative...

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Relief Schemes (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, who conveys her apologies to the Deputy for being unable to take the debate herself. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works, OPW, has responsibility for capital flood relief activities....

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Hospitals Report (22 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I thank Deputy Sean Fleming for raising this important issue, which I am addressing on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Heath, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. Under the Mental Health Act 2001, the Inspectorate of Mental Health Services is required to visit and inspect every approved centre annually. Such centres are defined under the Act as "a hospital or other in-patient...

Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (8 Nov 2012)

John Perry: I believe last night's event was funded by State agencies. The Deputy mentioned Enterprise Ireland, county councils and Leader, all of which are funded by the State. They are obviously very actively involved with Mullingar which is a very important initiative to launch. They will be funded by State agencies as well. It is very much driven by the community and is about public private...

Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Promotion (8 Nov 2012)

John Perry: The Deputy stated that there was no intention to promote the vast region in the middle of the country. That is not the case.