Results 19,681-19,700 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permit Applications (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Nursing is an eligible occupation for consideration for an employment permit, and is currently included on the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List in Regulations pursuant to the Employment Permits (Amendment) Act 2014. Occupations on this list are those deemed to be highly skilled, in short supply, and necessary for economic or social development in the State. The Highly Skilled...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: International Agreements (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. My Department was represented at the July 2014 meeting of the Council of Europe Inter-Departmental Group at which the Department of Justice and Equality gave an update on the status of Ireland’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention. I am not aware of any matters within...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Work which I am currently undertaking on the reform of the State’s employment rights and industrial relations structures is at an advanced stage. Provision has been made in the Workplace Relations Bill 2014 for a range of enhanced compliance measures, including the use of Compliance Notices and Fixed Payment Notices. The Bill also makes provision for the introduction of a more...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I am informed by IDA Ireland that during 2014 there have been 8 site visits to Westmeath and no site visits to Longford. Longford and Westmeath are marketed as part of IDA Ireland’s Midlands Region, which also includes the counties of Roscommon, Laois and Offaly. The Region is marketed as having a strong cluster in Medical Technology and Life Sciences and is home to key clients such...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Losses (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The information requested by the Deputy, as ascertained from the Annual Employment Survey undertaken by Forfás (now incorporated into my Department), is given in the following table. As clearly illustrated, there were very significant net job losses in the Manufacturing Sector for the years 2009 and 2010, as had also been the case in the previous few years also. This negative trend was...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Losses (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise Ireland’s mission is to support indigenous industry, working with entrepreneurs, Irish businesses, and the research and investment communities to develop Ireland’s international trade, innovation, and competitiveness. The ultimate objective is increased employment and prosperity in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland works with High Potential Start-up’s (HPSUs) with...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 72 and 75 together. The Forfás Annual Employment survey reports on the job gains and losses in companies supported by the industrial development agencies. Data is gathered on an annualised basis and is aggregated at county level. Data for 2014 will not be available until early in 2015. Details of the number of jobs gained and lost in companies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Cost Competitiveness (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Cost competitiveness is an important aspect of Ireland's overall competitiveness. Substantial progress has been made in terms of improving Ireland's competitiveness in recent years. The real Harmonised Competitiveness Indicator (HCI) is a measure of the trade-weighted exchange rate for Ireland, adjusted for relative price developments. In October 2014, Ireland's real HCI fell by 3.9 per...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Data (17 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I have been advised by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland that in 2013, there were just under 3,000 IDA Ireland-supported positions and over 4,000 people employed in Enterprise Ireland-supported jobs in Westmeath and Longford. 2014 figures will not be published until early in the New Year. IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have a strong presence in Co. Longford and Co. Westmeath. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: It depends on the complexity of what is provided and whether it accords with the sections provided. I am not an expert in the assessment, but it has been acknowledged by the officials that there were resourcing constraints due to the retirement of individuals, which put a strain on the Department such that only one official was in a position to deal with this issue and who had the corporate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: -----and the Department and ultimately, the Minister - under whose name it would be released - in any information they release, have clear responsibilities under the Companies Act to protect people. The Minister and the Department have an obligation to ensure that any request for the release of information is done in accordance with the powers assigned to them. That is what they have done....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: That is the case and the Committee of Public Accounts has the material available to it and we respect the role of the Committee of Public Accounts in this regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: There was no decision to deprioritise this. When I met the officials concerned, we decided the best course of action was to release the witness statement as requested and then the work had to be done to prepare for that release. That is a complex piece of work because this is an investigation that has been ongoing since 1997 and which has a large volume of material appended to it, all of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: As the Secretary General has made clear, no decision was taken before the examination of this witness statement. No decision could have been made-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: The context has been outlined by officials. When this statement was presented to me, I took advice from the officials and it was decided that the witness statement should be issued to the Garda. It was pointed out very clearly that provisions were very particular and not, as the Deputy suggested, a case of bundling this up and sending it to the Garda. The Department can only release...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Resourcing: Discussion (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Every Department has had to deal with constrained resources. It is one of the facts of post-crisis Ireland and every Department has had to ensure that it delivers but had to do more with less. Against the backdrop of the objectives we set ourselves, which the Secretary General read out, we have delivered very strongly with diminishing resources on championing enterprise and seeking to make...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Ireland is not currently party to any bilateral trade agreement containing investment protection provisions. Following the Lisbon Treaty, investment is part of the EU’s common commercial policy. The EU-Canada trade and investment agreement, negotiations on which concluded this year, will be the first agreement with EU-wide rules on investment dispute settlement as part of a board...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Meetings (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 and 273together. Material provided as follows is in respect of meetings held in 2014 only. In the time available since these Questions were tabled, my Department has not been able to compile the information in relation to all other years. Once the available information is collated I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy. I chair regular...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Data (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 277 together. The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on the job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the enterprise development agencies. Data is aggregated at county level on an annual basis. Figures for 2014 will not be available until early next year. I have been advised by IDA Ireland that in 2013, the latest year for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Data (16 Dec 2014)

Richard Bruton: Enterprise Ireland’s mission is to partner with entrepreneurs, Irish businesses, and the research and investment communities to develop Ireland’s international trade, innovation, leadership, and competitiveness. The ultimate objective is increased employment and prosperity in Ireland. The companies that Enterprise Ireland works with are a vital source of employment in every...