Results 19,101-19,120 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Regional Enterprise Strategy (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Will the Deputy look at the numbers? For example, there are 17,000 extra people at work in Enterprise Ireland companies. Of these, 5,600 are based in the south west, 3,000 in the mid-east area, 3,000 in Dublin, 1,700 in the Border areas and 1,400 in the midlands region. That is a good spread.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Regional Enterprise Strategy (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I accept with IDA Ireland jobs that more are peaking around the cities. All the cities are doing well and it is harder in some of the regions. That is why we are investing €150 million in property solutions in those other regions to build advanced facilities and strengthen them. The LEOs will have a very important role to play but there will be a specific competitive call targeted...

Other Questions: Trade Missions (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I led a four-day Promote Ireland St. Patrick’s Day trade mission to France from 14 March to 18 March during which I was involved in meetings and events on behalf of several State agencies including IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia. France is a particularly important market for the development of Ireland's regional economy. Irish food and drink exports...

Other Questions: Trade Missions (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: It is expected there will be an extra 5%, or 25,000, extra visitors coming from France this year. At the recent trade mission, we met with key agents who will drive and promote this business. The ambition for food exports is for double-digit growth into the French market. It is a strong market and a good outlet for seafood exports, in particular, with good margins. IDA Ireland is...

Other Questions: Research Funding (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Policy is focused on building excellence in scientific research and maximising its impact on jobs, as well as in economic and social progress. Neither I nor the Government make any apology for putting an extra emphasis on research that can help create more jobs. The Government introduced several policy initiatives targeted at accelerating the economic and societal return on our investment...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Regional Enterprise Strategy (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: First, I welcome the Deputy's question. It is important to state, as I outlined to Deputy Pringle, that the 90,000 extra jobs have been spread throughout the country. Dublin has higher growth. The mid-east, which is Deputy Tóibín's area, is not one of the higher growth areas but the other two areas of high growth are the midlands and the south east. The Deputy correctly pointed...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Regional Enterprise Strategy (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: No. It is between 5% and 6%. Roughly speaking, it is 5.5%.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Regional Enterprise Strategy (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: No. That is not the case.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Regional Enterprise Strategy (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: What we committed to do last year was to develop a framework within which the strategy could happen and we are rolling it out this year. We have committed funds of €150 million from the IDA as part of its five-year strategy, which is specifically for property solutions. Most attention has been devoted to the 12 advance facilities we have planned for the next three years. That only...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Based on the figures published by the CSO, and given any fair and reasonable review of the data, the Nevin institute’s presentation of regional employment data in its recent spring report was, at best, highly misleading. In the three years since the Action Plan for Jobs was launched every region has experienced job growth. Over that period more than 50% of the 90,000 jobs created...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: That is not true. The CSO provides the figures. The highest rate of growth in job creation was in the south east at 12.8%. That was followed by the midlands at 8.5%. Dublin was third and the rate was 6.5% in the Border region and so on. Some regions are not growing as fast as we would like and we need to build on that. Growth is occurring across all regions but we have to start with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I can deal with that but we do not have the time.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: If the Deputy chooses to be blind, he can be blind. He knows that IDA employment in his own county has increased by 40% over the past four years.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: That is an extraordinary performance by any standard but we want more. We are investing in advance facilities in Letterkenny and Sligo. One can distort statistics, which is the oldest trick in the book.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Job creation is growing in some regions and falling in others. The figures I outlined are for a four year period. The Nevin institute chose one year and chose to ignore the fact that growth was falling in some regions. One could have presented the same figures by saying 75% of job growth in 2014 was in the south east, midlands and mid east. That would have given a different picture. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Scientific Research (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I do not accept this at all. It would be very strange if people looking for funding were not complaining that they would like to have more funding. The Deputy knows that there were sharp cutbacks in research funding during his party's period in government.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Scientific Research (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: We have stabilised that. Every project that comes forward for consideration is considered first on its scientific excellence. That is done independently with international peer review. The excellence of the science is the first consideration. It also has to show some relevance to areas where we can hope to make an impact on our economy or our society. Such a focus is needed a time of 10%...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: It has been estimated that TTIP will have a positive impact on European output, incomes and employment. It is estimated that it will increase the size of the European economy by 0.5% of GDP and increase employment by 400,000. This would mean that a European family of four would see its annual disposable income increase by an average of €545. The suggestion that 1.3 million jobs will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I think the Deputy is trying to mislead the House here. The Korea agreement that was signed recently has resulted in Europe's export sales into Korea growing at 2.5 times the rate of growth of any other market. The net gain that is occurring as a result of that agreement - it is tangible and can be tested - is the addition by European companies of jobs, employment and opportunities. TTIP...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (26 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: That is simply untrue. The research being undertaken both at European level and individually in Ireland denies that. The strongest performance of Irish companies is in the US. Enterprise Ireland supports thousands of Irish companies in entering the US market. It has offices across the US. It will take various steps to support any SME that is seeking to expand into that market. It can...