Results 281-300 of 1,321 for speaker:Áine Collins

Mortgage Arrears: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: Every member of this House recognises that the mortgage crisis and the huge level of indebtedness is the next big problem that must be solved. Fianna Fáil now seems to have all the solutions but it must never be forgotten that it was Fianna Fáil that caused this problem in the first place by its inability and unwillingness to rein in the housing and building boom because of its...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: I too look forward to working with the committee.

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: I welcome Mr. O'Leary and his team. I congratulate them on their work and their continued commitment to Ireland in selling us abroad and bringing in such valuable jobs to Ireland. I have seen first hand the work that his team does hand in hand with the ambassadors, Enterprise Ireland and so on. If we could have one wish, it would be to have more resources to put more into that particular...

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: We are also training the new talent coming up when we bring in the expertise.

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: We have spoken about some of the emerging markets such as India. Indonesia has 250 million people and a growing market, but we do not have a footprint there at the moment as it is being worked out of Australia. The World Bank has spoken about developing countries in Africa and so on, and again we do not have any footprints down there. I appreciate there are issues with resources, but does...

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: Let us consider the sectors that are here. There is a good deal of talk at the moment about developing manufacturing in Ireland again. In the engineering sector, particularly steel engineering, Germany seems to be one of the markets that does not have space, and we in Ireland have a good deal of talent in that area. I wonder if more could be done in that area to bring some of the German...

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: Yes, steel.

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: That is good to hear. I will ask one or two regional questions. Cork has been mentioned as a place that gets significant investment, and it does. However, as we all know, Cork is a large county. I come from north Cork, which does not get the same penetration, and I am keen to discuss that. We have EMC in Ballincollig and VMware, which is an amazing success story that would not be there...

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: It is 45 minutes.

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: It is probably the same into Limerick, perhaps 50 or 55 minutes.

Public Accounts Committee: Annual Report and Accounts 2012: Discussion with IDA Ireland (19 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: I am referring to the smaller investments and when they come in, not the big plants. Mr. O'Leary referred to doing a good deal of work with some of the small new high-tech companies coming out of New York. Would areas such as this be suitable for such projects?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Competitiveness Council: Discussion (24 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: I welcome the Minister of State and I thank him for the positive initiatives in the innovation and science space. That is the future and we must keep investing in it and commercialising it. The area needs continual work and the Minister of State obviously agrees with this. One point involved how we can enhance the SME sector's engagement with science and technology. On a regular basis, I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Competitiveness Council: Discussion (24 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: I came across difficulties with innovation vouchers in our local university, with which the Minister of State and I are familiar. There is a huge amount of bureaucracy on both sides in the context of a €5,000 innovation voucher. The bureaucracy for both the companies and the universities is quite cumbersome. It would be good if there was a different way of delivering that. I...

Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Sep 2013)

Áine Collins: I may not be that long. A recruitment ban on public service has been in place for some time. The cost of running the public service was one of the many issues identified by the troika as an area that must be tackled. For years, there was anecdotal evidence of surplus staff in certain Departments and shortages in others. This situation developed over the years as functions and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Áine Collins: Ms McAleer is very welcome. This is a very interesting topic. Ms McAleer is right in that we have a history of emigration. Deputy Calleary mentioned earlier that we have not seen entire families emigrating but we have seen that. It has been two or three generations but entire families did emigrate and we did not see them again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Áine Collins: Our relationship with the people who have emigrated in recent years is far greater than it ever was because of IT, including Twitter, Facebook and Skype, which is a great benefit to families. I have experience of that personally as my daughter has been away for a number of years. We are talking about bringing people back. We talk about our diaspora, which is something I am working on in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Áine Collins: -----and it seems to be a major issue. We are trying to do it in a region, and we are doing it in the Cork region now in a foundation we have set up where we are trying to link in with the diaspora. We have been appalling over the years in keeping in touch with our diaspora. There has not been a call to them to ask them if they want to get in touch. I am not talking about those who are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Áine Collins: -----and it is a great pity because we are seeing only one side of the story. I was in Australia last year as part of a parliamentary delegation where I met a large number of the young Irish who emigrated to that country. It is difficult to compare it because the weather is fantastic and they are earning a fortune. There is great opportunity there for those who have an education but many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Time to Go Report: Discussion with NYCI (1 Oct 2013)

Áine Collins: The real reason for bringing these people back is to have an environment that will encourage them to use the skills and talents they have learned abroad and set up something here that will create jobs. If there is anything to be learned it is that we must be more specific about the "ask" as opposed to saying, "Come home and we will have happy days" because that will not happen. An article...

Mortgage Restructuring Arrangement Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (2 Oct 2013)

Áine Collins: I welcome the fact the Technical Group has brought this very important issue into the House and there is no doubt that solving this major mortgage crisis in the banks is now the most important financial issue facing the Government. The matter is difficult and extremely complex, and any practical solution could have unforeseen consequences for the liquidity and solvency of our banks, and as a...