Results 19,181-19,200 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Each year these programmes support 3,000 companies, North and South, in terms of trade and facilitate the placement of graduates from one jurisdiction with companies in the other. This allows the companies involved to grow their business in the other jurisdiction.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I do not think that is true. There are many other cross-Border initiatives which are not being developed by InterTradeIreland. In the context of INTERREG, there are infrastructural projects under way. There are a number of areas in which collaboration continues to take place. Obviously, both sides have experienced difficulties in the context of funding. In the light of budgetary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I appreciate the Senator's deep interest in these matters. If it would be helpful, I will send him the metrics tracked by the Companies Registration Office, CRO. To be fair to that office, it has cut the number of days involved in the process of setting up a business and increased the percentage of interactions that can be completed online. The progress in this regard is very impressive....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for the support he has shown for the regional strategy. He correctly noted that bigger infrastructural players are also important to the development of the regions. We see the regional enterprise strategy as an annual strategy which drives enterprise capabilities but also offers opportunities to incorporate regional strategies into longer term infrastructural planning on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I thank congratulate Senator White on her nomination for the Lower House. I do not know whether that is a step up or a step down.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: It is not an either-or situation between foreign and direct investment. The Senator would acknowledge that herself. She has a long history of supporting both sectors. There is a challenge in growing indigenous companies, but the last four years have been very successful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: This year, the net job increase in Enterprise Ireland companies exceeds that of the IDA. The gross increase considerably exceeds that of the IDA. We are seeing a new pattern evolve in what the Germans would call Mittelstand companies. Enterprise Ireland has played a significant role in that, developing the leadership for growth programme, which the Senator knows about. One sees the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: They are growing. They are globally ambitious now. Combilift is a good case. It recently committed to a greenfield site and will increase its numbers by 200. We are seeing more and more of those companies. That is part of it. The other part of it, as the Senator rightly says, is start-ups. To be fair to my Department, 70% of our money goes to Irish businesses and 30% to foreign ones,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: There are many tax incentives. For seed capital, as it used to be called, one can get tax relief on income tax paid of up to €600,000, so one could theoretically be investing-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: It is slow. It is an educational process. It is about letting people see that to try and to fail is not the end of the world and getting more serial entrepreneurs. We also want to see more people supporting entrepreneurship in their own communities. I do not think official Ireland has some downer on the self-employed or small employers, but I take the Senator's point that we need to make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: An Action Plan for Jobs 2015: Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: We have not set a date specifically for the midlands plan. It is at the front of the queue. However, we want it to be the best it can be. We are therefore not rushing it out too quickly. We want to ensure whatever we have learnt is applied. The national talent drive is crucial. With the establishment of the education and training boards, a big priority for this year is the engagement of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Competitiveness (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Productivity levels are an important determinant of what constitute sustainable pay levels in enterprises and productivity growth can support higher pay and allow the benefits of enhanced competitiveness to be shared, and support recovery in the broader domestic economy. For internationally trading enterprises that are price takers productivity and wage relativities with those in competing...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Missions (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: In 2011 and 2013, I led trade and investment missions to India, during which new jobs and export markets were won on the trade, investment and education front. Last November, my colleague, Minister of State English, led an education mission to India. Next month, I plan to travel to India to promote Ireland as an investment location. Later this year, Enterprise Ireland will organise a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Consumer Protection (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Advertisements in print and other media that are directed at consumers are regulated by the Consumer Protection Act 2007. The Act provides that a commercial practice, such as advertising or marketing, is misleading if it includes the provision of false information in relation to a wide range of matters relating to the trader and his or her goods or services, and if that information would be...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of recent media coverage in which Commissioner Hogan was reported as having indicated his intention to bring forward proposals before the end of this year to address certain issues in the relationships between retailers and producers. Until the EU Commission formally issues any such proposal, and the details are known, it would be premature for me to comment at this early stage....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: The LEOs are the first-stop-shop front line service assisting in delivering business growth and jobs for the small & micro-enterprise sector. The LEOs are the first port of call in terms of advice, training, sign posting to other support providers and, in certain circumstances, grant support for anyone who wishes to start or expand a business. The LEOs themselves provide a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: Last month, the Government announced details of the Action Plan for Jobs: Regionalinitiative which will seek to maximise the strengths and assets of each region to support enterprise growth and job creation. The Regional Action Plans will identify specific measures that can be taken to help each region to realise its economic potential, with a view to increasing the number of people at work...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (10 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to specific locations in Ireland are only part of the long and complicated process involved in attracting foreign direct investment to this country. These site visits may take place at the beginning or end of the process and in some cases there are no site visits involved. Site visits, when they do occur, involve new companies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (5 Mar 2015)

Richard Bruton: There is no legal definition of the term “au pair” in Irish legislation. However Ireland’s body of employment rights legislation protects all employees who are legally employed on an employer-employee basis, regardless of what title is given to them. Therefore, once it is clear that a person is working under a contract of employment, on a full-time or part-time basis,...