Results 1,801-1,820 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I assure the Deputy that there is. We are actively considering the whole banking sector in the United Kingdom and the opportunities that might arise for Ireland.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Foreign direct investment, FDI, continues to be a key contributor to Ireland's economic development and growth. This Government's efforts to continue to attract FDI here will be guided by both my Department's policy statement on FDI and IDA Ireland's own five-year strategy for the period 2015 to 2019. The IDA's strategy details how the agency will broaden its target sectors further and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Budget 2017 included capital gains tax measures. It also included measures in regard to the foreign earnings deduction which will help Irish exporters to diversify their markets. We have extended the special assignee relief programme to assist businesses to relocate key staff to Ireland and have increased the earned income tax credit for self-employed taxpayers to encourage...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department is aware of the particular case referred to by the Deputy in which a division of the Employment Tribunal in the United Kingdom found that the drivers who did not hold a taxi licence were employees of the enterprise in question. I understand this decision is under appeal to the superior courts in the United Kingdom. In Ireland there is a mechanism for the determination of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy should inform those who are suffering such injustices to take up the matter with the labour inspectorate of the Workplace Relations Commission. As I said, details of how they can do this are available on the relevant website. We have increased staff numbers in the WRC such that waiting times in having cases heard have been shortened. The Deputy should encourage those suffering...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy mentioned the gig economy. Uber uses what is termed the gig economy business model. It operates a technology platform to link with customers looking for a taxi. As I said, the ruling in the case mentioned by the Deputy is being appealed to the superior courts in the United Kingdom. In Ireland if individuals working in the gig economy were to take a similar case and achieve a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Planning Framework (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We will publish the 2016 report on the Action Plan for Jobs and regional action plans for jobs. As I indicated, I have travelled around the country and we are hearing good news in respect of the Action Plan for Jobs. The Deputy referred to skills and indicated he had never heard me speak about them. Having often visited Limerick, I believe he will have heard me speak about skills because...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Ireland’s competitiveness performance has been central to the recovery in employment. Since 2011, Ireland's competitiveness as measured by a range of international indices has improved. Ireland moved from 16th to seventh in 2016 in the IMD’s world competitiveness yearbook, which benchmarks the general environment for business. We moved from 24th to 23rd in the World Economic...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Economic Competitiveness (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We are working with the enterprise agencies to ensure Irish companies are competitive. As I indicated in a previous reply, Enterprise Ireland has contacted its 1,400 companies and is offering them advice on how to become leaner. Competitiveness is very important. The Deputy referred to a number of statistics. I must take on board what the IMD’s world competitiveness yearbook...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Jobs Protection (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Deputy Collins is correct. Market diversification is hugely important. I assure him that Enterprise Ireland is working with indigenous companies to ensure they have advice on diversification. Things such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, are important. We will ensure that we exploit whatever trades we can. This is one of the reasons we currently have trade missions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Jobs Protection (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We have detailed a good and targeted response in the Action Plan for Jobs and particularly in the regional action plans for jobs. There are eight regions and I have met with representatives of seven of them. We have gone through the implementation of those plans. They are on target and some of them are ahead of target. Four of them are doing really well and four are average. However, we...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Planning Framework (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Perhaps he could speak a little louder.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Planning Framework (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is currently preparing the National Planning Framework, NPF, which is a 20 year strategy for the spatial development of Ireland. My Department, at official level, is a member of the interdepartmental national planning framework steering committee and the NPF’s econometric and demographics working group. The NPF has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Planning Framework (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Last month I stressed that we got an extra €50 million in the budget, so we now have €550 million for capital expenditure. We also got an extra €3 million for current expenditure. I assure the Deputy that I am fighting good and hard to ensure that we have a really good response to Brexit. I have mentioned the enterprise agencies already. 3 o’clock Enterprise...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Jobs Protection (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department and the agencies under its remit provide supports at a policy and operational level to safeguard Irish jobs and exports, including in the context of Brexit. These include: the development of the annual action plan for jobs and regional action plans; contributing to EU policy development advocating for further strengthening of the Single Market, with access to 450 million...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Personal Injury Claims (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The revised Book of Quantum was published on the 5th of October 2016. The Book was compiled by independent consultants and commissioned by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB). The revised Book of Quantum provides the most comprehensive research available on levels of personal injuries awards prevailing in Ireland. It is based on a detailed analysis of 51,000 closed personal...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Regional Action Plan initiative is working to address regional and rural job creation by bringing different stakeholders in each of the 8 regions together to identify innovative and practical actions, to be taken across a range of Departments and agencies, with clear timelines for delivery over the period 2015 – 2017. The plans are currently being monitored and driven in each...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Enterprise 2025 has ambitions for our Irish owned enterprises to scale and compete effectively in international markets. Strong leadership together with a skilled workforce that is committed to high performance is key to achieving this ambition. SMEs in Ireland compete not only internationally to attract skills, but also nationally given the presence of large scale foreign owned enterprises...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Regional development is a top priority of mine. Increasing and sustaining foreign direct investment (FDI) outside of Ireland’s main urban areas forms a vital part of this. IDA Ireland’s strategy for 2015-2019 includes a commitment to increase FDI in every region outside of Dublin by 30-40%. Site visit statistics indicate that progress is being made towards that goal. In...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Data (8 Dec 2016)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Enterprise Ireland is the agency under my aegis which helps companies throughout Ireland start and scale, innovate and remain competitive on international markets. Companies that Enterprise Ireland works with, including the agri-food sector, are a vital source of employment in every county in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland is also responsible for attracting overseas Food & Beverage...