Results 1,581-1,600 of 3,895 for speaker:John Halligan

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: We need to remember the existing schemes already available to people to participate. We need to be careful that we do not attempt to put too many barriers in the way of people regarding the knowledge development box. When we look into it in depth over a period of time, it may well appear to have some faults regarding tax. I understand the issue in regard to tax and whether it can be used by...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I remind the Deputy the OECD set out the guidelines in the first place and the certificate is in line with what was set out by the OECD. The KDB certificate will allow SMEs to exploit their intellectual property, IP, assets without incurring the costs associated with obtaining a patent in the first place. That is a big asset for SMEs.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: It is already available to larger companies. It is not a new process for them.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: The Irish Patents Office must make that decision. I cannot make the decision. The Irish Patents Office deals with small, medium and large companies that have an idea, invention or piece of innovation. It would be unfair to exclude small, medium or large companies from applying for a patent.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: They are not excluded. As I said to the Deputy, this measure is more in their interest. Big companies can incur costs when applying for a patent because of the huge emphasis they place on confidentiality, etc. Small and medium sized enterprises do not incur costs. The scheme seeks to ensure that the Irish Patents Office treats all companies in the same way, regardless of size. It is...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: Yes.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I was going to answer the Deputy's query in the Dáil. One of the things that would happen is that Revenue would examine this matter through tax queries. The responsibility would fall to Revenue. This is only my view but if that were to be the case - I cannot say that it will not be the case - and if a bigger company set up smaller subsidiaries or companies and they encouraged...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I thank the Deputies for the amendments, but I do not propose to accept them. Deputies Bríd Smith and Richard Boyd Barrett propose to specify in the Bill a number of additional reporting requirements. Section 18(2) provides that the annual report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on activities under the KDB certification scheme will include information on such matters as the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I will be very brief because I do not want to go over everything I have said. There is no legislation for the Comptroller and Auditor General to do what he does in this regard, and he does actually take it county by county. When it is being taken county by county and all the statistics are accumulated and collated, it is hard to hear that it is not a fair and equitable way to do it. It...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I listened to the rationale for the amendments proposed by Deputies Bríd Smith and Boyd Barrett. It might be useful to remind Deputies of the intention behind the Bill. It is the introduction of the KDB certification scheme for SMEs to be administered by the Patents Office. The process before the office involves the examination of the application to ensure that the invention the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: To assist Deputy Boyd Barrett, I remind the committee that the Comptroller and Auditor General will publish on an annual basis the information about the KDB certification scheme and that will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. It then goes into the public domain. Everything is done. The Revenue Commissioners will have access to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General as...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: According to the Department of Finance, the overall amount for the scheme is €50 million. I will address a number of small points. As part of the medium-term economic strategy in 2013, the Government carried out regular evaluations of tax expenditure. It is not the responsibility of my Department but that of the Department of Finance to evaluate reliefs on a regular basis. This...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Enterprise Centres (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I thank Senator Noone for raising the matter. As the Minister, Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor, is currently travelling abroad, I am taking this debate on her behalf. My Department has supported the establishment of community enterprise centres throughout the country through Enterprise Ireland, which manages the community enterprise centre, or CEC, scheme. Since the launch of the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Enterprise Centres (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I would be delighted to meet the Senator to discuss the issue. The availability of business space is a fundamental infrastructural requirement for businesses to establish and expand in any location. A total of 117 community enterprise centres are located throughout the country and provide low cost workspace, with an array of services which often include centralised reception, messaging and...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Enterprise Support Schemes (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: I thank the Senator for his informative contribution. I also welcome the representatives of Connect Ireland. Again, I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I emphasise that attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland, especially to rural Ireland, is a key priority of the Government. I very much appreciate the role foreign direct...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Enterprise Support Schemes (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: It is approximately €10,000, so the Senator is almost correct.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Enterprise Support Schemes (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: Correct.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Enterprise Support Schemes (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: The Senator will understand that I cannot comment on his last remark, as I do not know. My view, and that of the Department, is that conducting a review of the programme before we determine how to proceed is in the interests of good governance. It will help us to understand how ConnectIreland has functioned over the course of the past five years and equip us with a better understanding of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) allocation for Ireland is €68m. This amount matched by equal amounts from our European Social Fund (ESF) allocation and from the Exchequer, giving an overall allocation of €204m. The YEI is integrated into ESF programming as a dedicated priority axis within the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (9 Mar 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently over 115,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. In general, children...