Results 1,481-1,500 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Other Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Action Plan for Rural Development is part of the wider cross-governmental Action Plan for Jobs process.  The regional Action Plans for Jobs, published by my Department, will feed into the Action Plan for Rural Development. Through these plans, IDA Ireland aims to increase foreign direct investment in each region by 30% to 40%.  In the south-east region, which...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Regional development is a top priority of mine and I am determined to help drive job creation all over Ireland. Increasing and sustaining foreign direct investment, FDI, outside of the main urban areas represents a vital part of this. IDA Ireland's strategy for 2015-2019 includes a commitment to increase FDI in every region outside Dublin by 30%-40%. The 2016 results show...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy cited figures and I will cite some as well. For example, in 2016, the site visits to County Clare, about which the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Breen will be delighted, numbered 18; while those for counties Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick - the Deputy's native county - Louth, Sligo, Waterford and Westmeath numbered 42, eight, ten, eight, 49, 24, 20, 17 and 36,...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy mentioned advance factories and those at Sligo, Castlebar and Tralee are all under construction. Those in Galway, Limerick and Dundalk, as well as a further one in Galway, will start their design stage in 2017. Those at Athlone, Carlow and Waterford will follow. Returning to my earlier comment, job creation is far more important than any site visit. For example, in 2016, the...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: It is a matter of what IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are doing on the ground to create the jobs.

Other Questions: Film Industry (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 17 together. Ardmore Studios is a commercial entity, owned 68.33% by private interests and 31.67% by the State. The State's shareholding is managed by Enterprise Ireland, EI. Enterprise Ireland inherited the stake from NADCORP, the former State investment agency, in 1986. As a passive investor, EI has no enterprise development role in Ardmore or any...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I assure the Deputy that these issues are very high on our agenda. I recently hosted a meeting near the Border at Carrick-on-Shannon at which the matters identified by the Deputy were raised. The meeting was attended by more than 250 small and medium business owners, as well as IDA Ireland organisations and representatives of IBEC and the Small Firms Association. We will be fighting hard...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: If Deputy Kelly has a biro he might just write down all the figures I am going to give to him. Enterprise Ireland has 570 staff in full-time equivalent posts before the Brexit-specific recruitment of 39 staff takes effect. IDA Ireland had 268 staff - and I shall quiz Deputy Kelly on these figures - in 259 full-time equivalent posts before the Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 21...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I believe the Deputy would have heard IDA Ireland senior staff there give that commitment and we also spoke about those sites that are on sale and are marketable. As a result of that meeting, there is now a focus to ensure that jobs - and IDA Ireland jobs - are landed in Cavan and Monaghan.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I will of course. Absolutely.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 16 together. Enterprise Ireland, the local enterprise offices and IDA Ireland are engaging on an ongoing basis with all client companies regarding the impacts being felt as a result of Brexit. They have clear plans in place to mitigate challenges and maximise opportunities arising from the UK decision. In 2017, I secured additional moneys, both...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank the Deputy. While he asked me to set up a committee to look at this issue, I can tell him we have a very strong regional action plan for jobs implementation group there. I have met them and they are absolutely working hard to ensure they land jobs in the region and that the jobs that are already there can be sustained. The Deputy made reference to IDA Ireland site visits. Of...

Other Questions: Employment Rights (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank Deputy Smith. Again, many of the employees in the company to which the Deputy refers are long-term employees. I acknowledge that many are working on a contract basis. The company went down that route in 2009 because the plant was in danger of closing. I am happy that the employees are being paid the market rate.

Other Questions: Employment Rights (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Pay and conditions.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Enterprise Ireland, EI, the local enterprise offices, LEOs, and IDA Ireland are engaging on a one-to-one basis with all client companies regarding the impacts being felt as a result of Brexit. All agencies have clear plans in place. In budget 2017, I secured additional moneys, both current and capital, to support the enterprise agencies' strategic response to Brexit. More than €1...

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: First, the Deputy asked me how many extra staff are in IDA Ireland-----

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Certainly, but just to say there are nine additional staff in IDA Ireland and 39 in Enterprise Ireland. Deputy Brendan Smith spoke about the Border and specifically about companies that are not under the auspices of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. There are two main agencies that can help such companies. The LEOs will speak to and advise small companies. The other relevant agency is...

Priority Questions: Job Creation (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The regional action plan for jobs covers counties Cork and Kerry.

Priority Questions: Job Creation (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I understand from IDA Ireland that the Succeed in Ireland initiative has so far created a total of 527 jobs on the ground. IDA Ireland has paid €2.069 million to ConnectIreland as a financial reward in respect of those 527 positions. It has also provided ConnectIreland with a further €150,000 for marketing support for the operation of the programme. As payments to...

Priority Questions: Job Creation (9 Feb 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Both ConnectIreland and the IDA have entered into a mutually agreed process to address whether differences have arisen between them in the course of the contract. I hope that process will result in an acceptable outcome for both parties. It would be neither appropriate nor helpful for me at this stage to comment on that ongoing process. I stated earlier, however, that the chief executives...