Results 17,821-17,840 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Support Services (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: In dealing with jobseekers, my colleague the Minister for Social protection has the lead responsibility for providing labour market services for persons with a disability, assisting them with finding paid employment or preparing them for employment through a training or employment programme. These play an important role in supporting participation by people with disabilities in the labour...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permit Applications (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: The State’s employment permits system is designed to ensure that employment opportunities that arise are given, in the first instance to Irish and EEA nationals. Hence there is a requirement on employers seeking non-EEA nationals via the permits system to conduct a Labour Market Needs Test in the manner prescribed in legislation. The application in question was refused on 30...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Insurance Costs (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: Apart from motor insurance which falls under the remit of the Minister for Transport, policy responsibility for insurance is a matter for the Minister for Finance. The Insurance sector is regulated by the Central Bank. Therefore, I as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation have no direct responsibility for insurance. The provision of insurance cover and the price at which it is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: I understand the Deputy is referring to traffic congestion in connection with Parkmore Business Park in Galway which is a large, primarily industrial, complex that currently supports 6,000 jobs. The number of people working there has led to serious traffic congestion which has caused significant frustration. IDA Ireland’s property department has been working over the past year to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 to 132, inclusive, together. There is no separate legal definition of the term “au pair” in Irish legislation, and individuals described as “au pairs”, “nannies” or “child-minders” are not exempted or treated as separate categories of workers under Irish employment law. Ireland’s body of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Low Pay (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: Making work pay continues to be a cornerstone of this Government’s agenda and the establishment of the Low Pay Commission on a statutory basis in July last reflected this priority. The Commission’s main function is to, on an annual basis, examine and make recommendations on the national minimum wage, with a view to securing that the national minimum wage, where adjusted, is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-hour Contracts (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Statement of Government Priorities, July 2014 committed to conduct a study on the prevalence of zero hour contracts among Irish employers and their impact on employees and make policy recommendations to Government on foot of this. The University of Limerick was appointed in February 2015, following a competitive tendering process, to carry out a study into the prevalence of zero hour...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: The final consolidated Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which completed legal review on 29 February 2016, contains a specific chapter regarding the mutual recognition of professional qualifications (Chapter 11). This provides a framework to facilitate a fair, transparent and consistent regime for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, between the EU and Canada, and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: The recruitment of employees is one of the most important functions in any business and ultimately it is the employer that must decide what employee or number of employees they will employ. Ireland’s body of employment rights legislation protects all employees who are legally employed on an employer-employee basis. Therefore, once it is clear that a person is working under a contract...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Data (22 Mar 2016)

Richard Bruton: Recruitment to my Department is undertaken principally by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) through competitions advertised publicly, setting out the competencies required for general civil service posts and technical/professional posts as appropriate. There are no vacancies existing within my Department at this time which require specific competency in the Irish language, however, my...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (3 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: The goal of this Government has been to replace all of the jobs lost during the economic crisis and deliver sustainable full employment by the end of 2018. This whole of Government effort has been integrated into the Action Plan for Jobs process which aims to strengthen the enterprise base, support entrepreneurship and start-ups, regain Ireland’s lost competitiveness and ensure the...

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: First, I totally reject the Deputy's complaints about the Government's record on worker protection. We twice increased the national minimum wage. We introduced protection for temporary agency workers. We restored the employment regulation orders, EROs and the registered employment agreements, REAs. We introduced collective bargaining legislation.

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: We have been very balanced in our approach and we have presided over a situation where 135,000 extra people are back at work. They are workers with decent pay. Contrary to what the Deputy said, 90% of all those jobs are full-time positions. In the past two years, all the jobs created are full time. Involuntary part-time working is declining rapidly in this country. The pay and conditions...

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: In those cases where sectors are poorly organised, we have reinstated REAs and EROs to protect those workers. We have increased the national minimum wage twice. Deputies such as Deputy Joan Collins pretend that those are jobs created by schemes. The truth is that 94% of the jobs created in the past four years are jobs that are completely independently created.

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: A total of 60,000 jobs are in export-oriented companies which have won new markets for this country and created opportunities for Irish workers. I take my hat off to the businesses and workers of this country that have responded to the challenges. I admit that there are sectors which still face challenges. The video distribution sector has had real problems. Occasionally, one has sectors...

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy should check the latest figures. I think the Deputy is wrong.

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: It must be said that any situation where people are losing their job is something that is not welcome. We have worked very hard to minimise the number of job losses and I am glad to say that we have got job losses here to the lowest ever number in the history of both IDA and Enterprise Ireland.

Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: We have managed to reduce job loss levels but that is not to say that any job loss is very difficult for the families involved, and my sympathy is with the families involved in this situation. It is also a reminder to us that we are working in a very difficult environment where changes in the economic environment impact on companies. We all know that patterns of usage in the video rental...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise 2025 sets out the potential to reach 2.18 million in employment and reduce the overall unemployment rate to 6 percent by 2020. This is based on the premise of export led growth and the additional indirect jobs stimulated by the activities of exporting enterprises in the wider economy. The ambition is predicated on taking the actions set out in Enterprise 2025 which are focused on...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Unemployment Levels (2 Feb 2016)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise 2025 sets out the potential to reach 2.180 million in employment and an overall unemployment rate of 6 percent by 2020. Based on a 2014 baseline, Enterprise 2025 envisages an additional 266,000 people in employment by 2020. This is based on the premise of export led growth and the additional indirect jobs stimulated by the activities of exporting enterprises in the wider economy....