Results 361-380 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (6 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In terms of supporting the creation of new employment opportunities across the country the State development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, together with the County and City Enterprise Boards assist and promote enterprise development and employment growth in businesses. Enterprise Ireland delivers a wide range of supports to Irish companies, targeted at the specific...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (6 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The latest grocery price comparison survey carried out by the National Consumer Agency, which was published on the 10th August, found that in the case of the multiples the price of selected branded grocery items had dropped in the region of 14% between January 2009 and July 2010. The Central Statistics Office in its most recent bulletin found that overall the price of food and non-alcoholic...

Written Answers — Commercial Credit: Commercial Credit (6 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I outlined in my reply to Question Number 1742 on 29 September 2010 and Question Numbers 296 and 298 on 30 September 2010, my officials are working with their colleagues in the Department of Finance, the Credit Review Office, Enterprise Ireland and Forfás to address access to credit issues for viable SMEs including, the option of a loan guarantee scheme. Substantial progress has been...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The European Progress Microfinance Facility was launched in 2010 and is managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) on behalf of the European Commission. Under the European Progress Microfinance Facility, €100 million will be made available, spread over four years from 2010 to 2013, to support employment, the development of micro-enterprises and the social economy across all European...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not provide direct funding or grants to businesses but provides funding to a number of State Agencies, including the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) and Enterprise Ireland, through whom assistance is delivered directly to businesses. The CEBs' unique role positions them as a first point of contact for persons wishing to set up in business and therefore I would...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The role of the County and City Enterprise Boards is to provide support for micro-enterprises in the start-up and expansion phases, to promote and develop indigenous micro-enterprise potential and to stimulate economic activity and entrepreneurship at local level. The CEBs deliver a range of tailored Programmes and Supports in order to fulfil this role and may provide both financial...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I announced the first call for expressions of interest in Innovation Fund Ireland on 23 September 2010, less than two weeks ago. Enterprise Ireland and the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) will manage the Fund and investors have until November 26 to signal their interest in establishing a presence here. The Innovation Fund is about investing for the medium to long-term in high...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary) was introduced to help employees maintain their jobs while at the same time assisting employers in retaining their productive capacity. In order to qualify for support, enterprises had to commit to retaining a multiple of the number of jobs that they receive subsidies for until the end of November 2010. The purpose of the scheme is to protect...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are currently a total of 13 EU Directives to be transposed by my Department up to 2012. One of these Directives is currently overdue: Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the Internal Market. In relation to Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the internal market, the drafting of the statutory instrument giving effect to this Directive has been completed. The draft Regulations will...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 422 and 423 together. International benchmarking statistics reveal that Ireland imposes a relatively low burden of regulation on business. The Forfás Annual Competitiveness Report 2010 states that Ireland's regulatory environment is one of the least restrictive in the OECD in relation to product market regulation, the time taken to comply with tax payments...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy, a Strategy and Action Plan for Irish Trade, Tourism and Investment to 2015, is an integrated strategy that is global in scope and covers both existing and new high growth potential markets. It has set a number of ambitious targets to be achieved by 2015 i.e. to create 150,000 new jobs (manufacturing, tourism and traded services) with a similar...

Written Answers — Financial Services Regulation: Financial Services Regulation (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Ministers of State at my Department and I between us participated in eight regional meetings with business groups during July and August to hear at first hand from small businesses their experiences in gaining access to bank credit. These meetings took place in Cork, Athlone, Galway, Waterford, Bundoran, Dublin, Dundalk and Shannon. I am grateful to the businesses and their...

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (5 Oct 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Regulation of the insurance industry is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance, and is an area in which I have no direct role. I understand that the practice to which the deputy refers relates to arrangements involving insurance companies actively recommending certain approved repairers to their policyholders. The arrangement between the insurance companies and the approved...

Written Answers — Commercial Credit: Commercial Credit (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 298 together. The provision of credit to our enterprise sector, especially to SMEs, should primarily come from a properly functioning banking sector. The whole focus of Government policy on banking since 2008 has been to return the banks to a position where they can access funds and lend these funds on to viable businesses and households to support...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: A Renewed Programme for Government committed the Government to act on recommendations contained in Competition Authority reports within nine months of their publication. Following the above commitments given by the Government, my Department drew up an initial prioritised list of 21 recommendations, based on their impact on competitiveness. These 21 recommendations related, directly or...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not provide direct funding or grants to businesses but provides funding to a number of State Agencies, including the County and City Enterprise Boards, CEBs, and Enterprise Ireland, through whom assistance is delivered directly to businesses. Subject to certain eligibility criteria new and developing micro-enterprises may qualify for financial support from the CEBs in the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: At present, there are over 350 Enterprise Ireland client companies in South Dublin employing almost 12,000 people. So far this year, Enterprise Ireland has paid out over €9 million to client companies in South Dublin including Tallaght. The agency has been actively engaged with its client companies in the region and has a number of supports and initiatives in place to assist them...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have been informed by IDA Ireland that, during 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010, there have been a total of 11 site visits by potential investors to a variety of locations throughout County Kerry. Details of the locations of those visits are set out in the following tabular statement. Table showing location of visits for each of the years 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010 YEAR LOCATION TOTAL...

Written Answers — Task Force Reports: Task Force Reports (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1682 and 1734 together. In June of this year I issued, and discussed with the Task Force Chairman, the most recent report on the Government's response to the recommendations in the Interim Report of the Mid West Task Force. On 21 June this detailed update was also forwarded to the Dáil for circulation to all Deputies. The report contains details of the very...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Annual Competitiveness Report 2010, published by the National Competitiveness Council in July this year, acknowledged that since January 2008, Ireland has regained some of the competitiveness it had lost at the start of the global economic downturn. The improvement in competitiveness is closely linked to the policies the Government has pursued to restore stability to the economy. Some of...