Results 301-320 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The network of County and City Enterprise Boards, which come under the auspices of my Department, are the primary initial contact point for business start-ups in Ireland. The CEBs can assist micro-enterprises i.e. businesses with 10 employees or fewer and are to the forefront in supporting viable business start-ups and in assisting the development of growth-orientated micro-enterprises which...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: On Thursday last, 7th October, I undertook an Enterprise Ireland Trade promotion visit to London. The programme included meetings with relevant officials of the London Olympics Development Authority and with Irish companies involved in pursuing contracts on that major project. For a number of these companies, the Olympics has acted as a key driver of internationalisation activity and...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In response to requests from County Enterprise Boards for additional funding to support job creation, I have had discussions with my colleague the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in the context of maximising State support to enterprise through considering all streams of available funding, including funding available under Leader and funding for the CEBs. The capital...

Written Answers — Company Closures: Company Closures (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Statistical information as sought by the Deputy is not collected through my Department. Responsibility for statistical information rests with the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Information is collected by the CSO under a new format under the EU Business Demography Regulation which only came into force in late 2007 and is subsequently published under the CSO Business Demography returns. I...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the various reports of potential job losses within the banking sector. The financial crises within the banking sector has had and will continue to have, implications for employment levels within individual banks. It is a commercial matter for the banks concerned to determine their staffing requirements having regard to changes in banking practices and re-structuring...

Written Answers — Credit Availability: Credit Availability (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Access to bank credit for businesses, particularly SMEs, has been central to Government Initiatives in addressing the crisis in the banking sector. Both the 2009 and 2010 Bank Recapitalisation arrangements provided specific commitments from the recapitalised banks to assist SMEs. Under the 2010 Bank Recapitalisation arrangement, AIB and Bank of Ireland have both committed to making available...

Written Answers — Banking Sector Regulation: Banking Sector Regulation (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The consultation paper referred to in the deputy's question relates specifically to financial institutions and insurance undertakings, responsibility for which rests with my colleague the Minister for Finance. I understand this initiative is part of a wider strategy to update the domestic regulatory framework applying to credit institutions and insurance undertakings and that the Regulator...

Written Answers — Small and Medium Enterprises: Small and Medium Enterprises (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: A key objective for Enterprise Ireland is to assist its client companies to drive sustained efficiency and achieve continued improvements in their cost structure, as well as capacity development through investment in capital equipment. EI may financially support the purchase of both new and second hand equipment through some R&D programmes and more specifically through the Job Expansion...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: One of the high level goals of IDA's strategy "Horizon 2020" is that in the period 2014, 50% of new FDI projects will be located outside of Dublin and Cork. To date in 2010, 16 of the 63 investments announced are located outside of Dublin and Cork. Of the remaining 47 projects announced, 39 are located in Dublin and 8 are located in Cork. The locations of the 16 projects located outside of...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: "Towards 2016" contains a Government commitment to introduce amending legislation to exclude voice-over actors, freelance journalists and session musicians when engaging in collective bargaining, from the provisions of Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002. The commitment takes into account, inter alia, that there would be negligible negative impacts on the economy or on the level of ...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not provide direct funding to business or start-ups, it does however provide funding to the enterprise agencies. Assistance for small businesses and services in Ireland is delivered primarily through the County and City Enterprise Boards who are the primary initial contact point for business start-ups. They are responsible for providing support to small businesses with 10...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 to 255, inclusive, and 257 to 259, inclusive, together. The Industrial Development agency figures for job gains and losses are compiled annually in the Forfás Annual Employment Survey, the most up to date of which details employment figures up until 2009. The figures are in respect of numbers of persons employed in firms assisted by IDA Ireland,...

Written Answers — Export Markets: Export Markets (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2010 Enterprise Ireland (EI) has been working closely with its clients to maintain and build their business relationships with existing key customers and target and win new customers in existing and new markets. There has been a large number of targeted sector visits and a number of cross-sectoral visits led by Government Ministers to strategic overseas markets with an emphasis on High...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 260 to 262, inclusive, together. Jobs are the central priority of Government policy. Recently, the Taoiseach launched the five-year integrated Government plan for trade, tourism and investment aimed at generating 300,000 jobs. The new plan, "Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy", is the first integrated strategy to promote overseas trade, tourism and...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am informed by IDA that in the 5 years since mid 2005, there were 6 announcements in relation to multinational, Greenfield start ups and expansions in Waterford City and County, with the potential to create 588 jobs. While jobs announced are typically created over a period of up to three to five years, it should be noted that, in the 5 years from the beginning of 2005 to the end of 2009...

Departmental Agencies (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Government has given a commitment on job creation. I have received a 25% increase in the allocation for the capital programme for the enterprise agencies up to 2016. I know the Deputy does not mean it when he argues we should throw 100 jobs at a particular region. The IDA is targeting high potential growth markets such as China and Brazil. I will visit Brazil and the Middle East on...

Enterprise Support Services (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Ireland is one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world and never has this spirit been more important. The growth and development of small Irish businesses, is central to economic recovery and it is essential that Irish enterprises continue to be supported. My priority is to ensure that the business environment is supportive of enterprise and encourages growth in all areas of the...

Enterprise Support Services (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The final point obviously is a matter for the Minister for Finance and the Deputy should take it up directly with him.

Enterprise Support Services (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy has raised a number of interesting issues with which I wish to deal. One concerns the county and city enterprise boards and funding thereof. When I came into this office I asked Enterprise Ireland to undertake a trawl of the enterprise boards to ascertain precisely which projects were on hand, which projects were approved, and what was the requirement in terms of money. After an...

Enterprise Support Services (13 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: There is one other-----