Results 14,341-14,360 of 15,682 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: I join in the tributes that have been paid to Senator Quinn, as well as to Sean Gallagher and former Deputy Margaret Conlon who have championed this legislation collectively. I also thank the officials in my Department who have worked with Senator Quinn in recent months to bring the Bill to its conclusion. I thank the Clerk of the Seanad and her officials for their co-operation and work. I...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: That will be no bother to him. I understand that this is the last sitting of the current Seanad, so I wish all retiring Senators health and happiness. In addition, I wish success to those seeking re-election. I thank the Clerk and her officials for their co-operation over recent years. I also thank the outgoing Whips for their co-operation on ordering the Business of the House, including...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: We want to welcome Senator Quinn's Bill. The Department has worked hard with him in trying to reach some compromise on it. With regard to issues that have been raised, I am sure Senator Coghlan will bring them to the attention of his party members who will in government this time tomorrow. In regard to Senator O'Malley's substantive point, we acknowledge that there are some gaps here....

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: Under general law, there is an option to pursue debts through the courts. It is intended to arrive at a mechanism to strengthen this provision. It was our intention in drafting the Bill that this would be dealt with within the Dáil process.

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: It is not as simple as the Senator suggests; that is the difficulty. Often what we believe in the House to be simple leads to all sorts of issues. That is why we want to carry out a regulatory impact study and, I hope, introduce a mechanism that can be agreed by the Department, the Seanad and the Dáil in the context of the Dáil legislation.

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: Much work was undertaken to provide a security of payment provision amenable to both parties. There is a difficulty about public contracts and having the right to appeal a decision through arbitration to ensure the best value for money is achieved for the taxpayer. We are still committed to achieving a security payment system which would avoid such situations in both the public and the...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: I believe Senator O'Toole has provided two bases for us to pursue this and I will ask the officials to pursue the matter of timelines for arbitration in advance of the Bill coming to the Dáil.

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: Amendment No. 9 allows a code of practice to be drawn up by the Minister. That code of practice can be drawn up as vigorously as possible to reflect the views of the Senators.

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: The challenge we have is to protect public money. In the Senator's scenario if the State seeks to appeal or adjudicate a decision that money will be paid over regardless of the State's right to appeal. If the State wins that appeal it will be very difficult for it to get its money back. We will look at mechanisms to avoid this happening and to allow cash to flow as Senator Coghlan...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Mar 2011)

Dara Calleary: We accept the proposal.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (1 Feb 2011)

Dara Calleary: My Department processes applications in respect of the different types of employment permits - Green Cards Permits, Work Permits, Spousal/Dependant Permits and Intra-company Transfer Permits. All applications are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006. I wish to advise the Deputy that the Employment Permits Section wrote to the applicant on 27th January 2011 requesting some...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (27 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm to the Deputy that Ireland has a reciprocal arrangement in place with Canada under the Working Holiday Programme. The Working Holiday Programme provides young people with a once off opportunity to holiday for an extended period, not exceeding one year, and to engage in employment as an incidental aspect of their holiday in order to supplement their income while travelling....

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (27 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: My Department processes applications in respect of the different types of employment permits - Green Cards Permits, Work Permits, Spousal/Dependant Permits and Intra-company Transfer Permits. All applications are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006. I wish to advise the Deputy that it is current Government policy to issue new employment permits only in respect of: · ...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (26 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: My Department processes applications in respect of the different types of employment permits (Green Cards Permits, Work Permits, Spousal/Dependant Permits and Intra-company Transfer Permits). All applications are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006. I wish to advise the Deputy that this application was refused on the 9th September 2010 on the grounds that it is current...

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (25 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: Aer Lingus cabin crew are currently engaged in 'work to rule' action at the airline over the introduction of new rosters. The action regrettably has resulted in disruption to services recently. I understand that new rostering arrangements have been introduced by the company under its "Greenfield" €97m cost saving plan and that cabin crew last year voted to accept the plan. A part of that...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (20 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: I wish to advise the Deputy that in accordance with the Government Order entitled "Redundancy and Insolvency Payments (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial functions Order 2010" responsibility for the Redundancy and Insolvency Payments Schemes transferred to my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection with effect from 1 January 2011. Accordingly, issues arising under...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (19 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: The primary objective of my Department is to ensure that we have the right policies in place to support and grow our enterprise base in order to facilitate both job creation and job retention. The policies developed by this Government to accelerate and improve the transition of young people from education into the labour market are based on three main pillars: 1. Expanding provision in the...

Written Answers — Public Sector Pay Agreements: Public Sector Pay Agreements (19 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: The Croke Park Agreement has committed the Civil and Public Service management to working with their staff to increase efficiency and reduce costs across the public sector. In that regard, my Department and our Agencies submitted Croke Park Implementation Plans last October to the Department of Finance and the Agreement "Implementation Body" for consideration. We submitted updated Plans on...

Written Answers — National Wage Agreements: National Wage Agreements (19 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 97 together. The National Recovery Plan 2011 – 2014 commits to a range of structural reforms to the labour market aimed at removing barriers to employment creation and disincentives to work; and at re-orientating activation measures. In this context, the Government committed to review the framework of Employment Regulation Orders (ERO) and Registered...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (19 Jan 2011)

Dara Calleary: The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) is one of the front-line services directly affected by the current turbulence in the labour market. The Tribunal hears claims under 18 separate pieces of legislation. Some claims, like Unfair Dismissal cases, are complex and can take up to 4 days. Between 2007 and 2009, the number of claims coming to the Tribunal trebled. While there has been a slight...