Results 81-100 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The ICT needs of my private and constituency offices located in Kildare Street is met from a pool of equipment and software created to meet the business needs across my Department. Records of costs would therefore relate to batches of items procured by my Department rather than individual items specifically used by my office. My Department has no records in relation to my constituency...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The amount paid by my Department, including Professional Services Withholding Tax, to Indecon Economic Consultants in the past five years is set out in the table below. Year Amount Paidâ'¬ 2006 45,799.70 2007 156,018.60 2008 74,163.19 2009 - 2010 - The payments were made in respect of Value of Money Reviews on Science Foundation Ireland, Training people with disabilities and an...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: Information on websites maintained by Agencies of the Department is a day-to-day matter for the Agencies. My Department and its Offices maintain a variety of websites related to their differing functions. These sites along with their associated costs and average monthly unique visits for 2010 are shown in the table below. Website Cost of maintaining the website in 2010 Average number of...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: During 2009, my Department commissioned EPS Consulting to measure a prioritised list of 31 Information Obligations in Company Law, Employment Law and Health & Safety Law. The total cost of the project, including the Report presented in December 2009, was €58,249. To date, my Department has paid fees totalling €55,880 to consultants other than EPS Consulting in relation to the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Enterprise Development agency figures for jobs created 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, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development, together with those assisted by the County Enterprise Boards...

Written Answers — Retail Sector Developments: Retail Sector Developments (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have not made a submission to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the review of the retail planning guidelines. I will make my views known to Government when the issue is brought to it for consideration.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: No expenditure was incurred by my Department in the period in question on opinion polling. Occasionally, my Department or one of its Offices (Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, Companies Registrations Office etc.) commissions research involving focus groups as part of their evidence-based policy-making work. In this regard, the information requested by the Deputy in relation to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 893 and 894 together. The number and the total cost of paying for mobile telephones including BlackBerries in my Department and the Offices of my Department in the years 2006 to 2010 inclusive is set out in the following Tabular Statement. Number and cost of Mobile Telephones Year Number of Mobile Telephones Mobile Telephone Costs 2006 250 â'¬196,100...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Patent Royalty Exemption has been costed at €50m based on 2008 figures using the initial revenue loss method. A total of 165 companies were claiming the relief in 2008. The benefits of the exemption included providing an incentive for the commercialisation of R&D, reducing the cost of undertaking R&D for SMEs and removing the competitive disadvantage for SMEs associated with an...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I understand that the person in question is pursuing a training course in a college which comes under the remit of Teagasc. As Teagasc is an agency of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, it would be more appropriate for the Deputy to address his query to that Department. There are no grants available from my Department's agencies for such courses.

Written Answers — Legal Services: Legal Services (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 897 to 899, inclusive, together. In the short time available to me since these three Questions were tabled by the Deputy, I am unable to provide the significant level of detailed information sought in each Question. My Department has, however, begun the process of collating the information requested and I will communicate further with the Deputy once that...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I announced the first call for expressions of interest in Innovation Fund Ireland on 23 September 2010. Enterprise Ireland and the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) will manage the Fund and investors had until 26th November 2010 to signal their interest in establishing a presence here. Now that this deadline has passed, Enterprise Ireland and the NPRF are in the process of evaluating...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The following table sets out the appointments made to State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation between 1 June 2010 and 16 December 2010. Board No of Appointments Science Foundation Ireland 2 IDA Ireland 1 Shannon Free Airport Development Co Ltd. 2 Personal Injuries Assessment Board 1 Forfás 1 Enterprise Ireland 2 National Standards Authority...

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The role of the County and City Enterprise Boards is to provide support for micro-enterprise (business not employing more than 10 people) in the start-up and expansion phases, to promote and develop indigenous micro-enterprise potential and to stimulate entrepreneurship at local level. As enterprise support agencies the interaction of the County Enterprise Boards (CEBs) with their local...

Written Answers — Credit Supply Clearing Group: Credit Supply Clearing Group (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Credit Supply Clearing Group was established in May 2009, with bank, business and State representation. The Group is responsible for identifying patterns of events where the flow of credit to viable businesses appears to be blocked and for seeking to identify credit supply solutions relating to these patterns. The Group works to provide a clear picture of any emerging lending patterns...

Written Answers — National Entrepreneurial Strategy: National Entrepreneurial Strategy (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The critical role of entrepreneurship is fully recognised by Government. The Government's priority is to create the best business environment for innovative entrepreneurs to do what they do best – turning ideas into products and services that will compete internationally with the world's best. The needs of entrepreneurs are addressed in the analysis and recommendations contained in my...

Written Answers — Green Enterprise: Green Enterprise (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The High Level Group on Green Enterprise published its report, Developing the Green Economy in Ireland, in November 2009. The report included 55 recommendations which the Group considered important to enable Ireland to maximise the opportunities afforded by the Green Economy. One year on from the publication of the report, a significant number of the recommendations have been implemented to...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The total funding allocated to the Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary) in 2010 was €114.5 million and to date in 2010, €93.959 million has been drawn down. The Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary) was launched in August 2009. Companies who applied under the first call of the Scheme (ESS1) were approved in 2009 and companies who applied under the second call of the Scheme (ESS2) were...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 contains a commitment "to introduce significantly improved performance management across all Public Service areas, and following the current review, the Performance Management and Development System will be strengthened with promotion and incremental progression linked in all cases to performance and the implementation of appropriate systems to address...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of persons employed in my Department on a short-term, temporary or consultative basis in the years 2009 and 2010 and the cost involved is set out in the following table. Fixed Term Contracts: Category No of Contracts 2009 Cost of Contracts 2009 No of Contracts 2010 Cost of Contracts 2010 Public Servantspreviously Fixed Term Contracts2 - 5 year durationi.e. primarily appointed...