Results 141-160 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan

Seanad: Mobile Telephony (29 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The Government is committed to promoting partnership on the island through the North/South Ministerial Council and the other North/South institutions to deepen economic, social and cultural relations between both parts of the island. In the communications sector, we have jointly promoted Project Kelvin, which I will describe in more detail presently. EU rules regulating the...

Seanad: Mobile Telephony (29 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: If the Senator writes to me on that I will make that case to the regulators and to the Minister responsible in this area.

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Carbon Revenue Levy) Bill 2010: Second Stage (24 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to present the Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Carbon Revenue Levy) Bill 2010 for consideration by the Seanad. Although it is a relatively short Bill, it has an extremely important purpose. It seeks to recover a substantial portion of the carbon windfall gains that electricity generators are currently receiving through the single electricity...

Seanad: Fisheries Conservation (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: Salmon stocks exploited in the Foyle by the commercial interceptory fishery up to 2006 had been achieving their conservation limits. However, the scientific advice for 2006 indicated that a rationalisation of the fishery was necessary to protect stock levels and the future viability of the commercial fishery. In May 2007 approval was given by the North-South Ministerial Council for the...

Seanad: Fisheries Conservation (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: I will look into the matter, as requested by the Senator, but I would not hold out much hope in that regard.

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: I thank Senators for their contributions to the debate which is hugely important. It is also important that we recognise that the worst is over, that we have turned the corner and, in the fabled words of the Minister for Finance when presenting the budget last December, that we have marked a different line and are on the cusp of economic recovery. All of the evidence available to the...

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: It is forecast that the growth rate will be positive at the back end of the year, which is not too far away. We come to the close of the parliamentary session with the tantalising prospect of economic recovery beginning at the latter end of year and continuing into 2011. That is good news for all Members of the House and all those outside who look to the Houses for guidance and leadership...

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: We have had a fire raging in the kitchen of the economy for the last two years, but we have turned the corner. There is now the prospect of recovery. We have done a crash course in competitiveness which is the envy of other countries. No other country in Europe could have withstood socially the reductions we saw in public service wages and salaries. There were were huge reductions of...

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: We have bridged the gap. Many economists complained about the partnership process because it had conferred a salaries and wage benefit on those in public service employment of the order of 12% over comparable grades in the private sector. That has been pushed back, which is good both for competitiveness and equality. Public and private sector workers are now on a level playing pitch in...

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The second fastest drop in Europe in energy costs has occurred in Ireland. Many competitive factors are now playing in our favour. When IDA Ireland promotes new projects and investment opportunities in Ireland, it finds it is able to pitch for projects for which it could not have pitched three or four years ago. We are now in a position to attract more inward investment because we have...

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: -----and because we have reduced our costs. There are-----

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: I note with interest and gratitude the thanks the Senator so clearly gave me. Some elements of my speech must have been addressing her concerns if she was noble enough to say "Thank you". I thank her for that. There are some key statistics about the economy of our country which are interesting. We are the fourth most open economy in the world and the second most entrepreneurial country in...

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: They do not tend to advertise their difficulties-----

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: -----in quite the same way as we do in this country, or to the extent to which we run down the country. Sometimes I have heard leaders of the Opposition say-----

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: In recent years, a leader in the Opposition ranks described this country as being "bust" when he attended a conference at Davos. That was perhaps the most ignoble statement ever made by an Opposition leader in this country, going to a foreign forum and publicly undermining this economy in such a fashion. That person was re-elected leader of Fine Gael this week. I wish him the best of luck.

Seanad: Innovation and Job Creation: Statements (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The best of luck to him but with that sort of negative mindset I do not believe he will create many jobs in this economy. I shall leave my comments at that. I thank the Chair.

Seanad: School Staffing Levels (22 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Mary Coughlan. The staffing schedule impacts on individual schools in different ways depending on whether enrolment is rising or declining. In terms of the position at individual school level the key factor for determining the level of...

Written Answers — Salmon Fisheries Management: Salmon Fisheries Management (17 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: This recent suspension of commercial fishing in Lough Foyle was considered necessary in order to comply with the EU Habitats Directive and falling salmon numbers. No funding provision has been made by either Department to compensate fishermen affected by the suspension. The commercial nets-men who have not been issued with licences in 2010, were made aware when the salmon hardship package...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (16 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The objective of the Innovation Voucher Initiative is to facilitate and encourage enterprises, in particular small enterprises, to engage in research or development by availing of the services available from research institutions. Through this initiative Irish companies are being supported to rapidly and effectively develop and commercialise new processes, products and services profitably....

Written Answers — Small and Medium Enterprises: Small and Medium Enterprises (16 Jun 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The Research Framework Programme is the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe and successive programmes have been operating successfully since 1984. They have played a particularly important role in bringing European researchers (in academia and in industry) together in collaborative research projects, in facilitating the mobility of researchers across Europe and in supporting...