Results 301-320 of 7,153 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe in 'Written Answers'

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...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1687 to 1689, inclusive, together. My Department has a range of strategies designed to support and grow enterprises thus facilitating the creation and retention of jobs in the economy. However, specific activation policies, or measures targeted at the unemployed or cohorts of the unemployed, such as the under 25s and the long-term unemployed, are the...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Foreign direct investment industries are located in each county in the State, and in the Shannon Free Zone. The greatest concentration of FDI industries is in Dublin. Table 1 shows the number of foreign companies supported by IDA on a county by county basis and by Shannon Development in the Shannon Free Zone in each year of the past 10 years. In the same 10 year period, a total of 261 IDA...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the industrial development agencies. Data is compiled on an annualised basis and is aggregated at county level. The number of jobs lost in IDA supported companies, on a county by county basis, in each of the past 10 years is set out in the attached tabular statement. Each year an average...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Foreign direct investment has been a major contributor to Ireland's development in the past 50 years. Nearly a quarter of a million quality Irish jobs exist today because of our long term commitment to make Ireland a location of choice for multinational companies. At present there are 980 IDA supported multinational companies established here. These companies account for 70% of total...

Written Answers — New Enterprises: New Enterprises (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought by the Deputy is not available through the CSO in the format requested. Enterprise Demography Statistics are, however, compiled by the CSO under the Structural Business Statistics Regulation (EC) No. 295/2008 which entered into force in late 2007. The latest CSO Business Demography returns for 2008 were published on 20 September 2010 and the Table contains information...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: IDA Ireland has 17 overseas offices located in Europe, the United States, Asia Pacific and South America, details of which are set out in the following tabular statement. In recent years IDA has increased its international presence through the expansion of existing offices in the US and the development of new offices/representatives in France, China, Russia and Brazil, as part of a...

Written Answers — Irish Exports: Irish Exports (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The following table sets out the relevant details. Value of exports by Foreign-owned firms (Agency-assisted plus IFSC) Exports from Foreign-owned firms (Agency-assisted plus IFSC) as % of total Exports from Foreign-owned firms (Agency-assisted plus IFSC exports) as % of GDP Total Direct Expenditure in Irish Economy for Foreign-owned Agency-assisted Firms â'¬bn % % â'¬bn 2004 100.7...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: IDA Ireland is responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland and its regions. I am informed by IDA that: In February 2010 Generale PanEurope(GPE) and Generali International(GI) announced that they have commissioned a new building, which will be located in the IDA Navan Business Park, Athlumney, Navan, County Meath. It is envisaged that the numbers employed will continue to...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme is a scheme introduced by Government to act as a direct stimulus to job creation by giving employers a PRSI exemption for taking on new workers who have been unemployed for six months or more. Responsibility for the implementation of the scheme rests with my colleague the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Eamonn Ó Cuiv and information in...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the Industrial Development agencies. Data is compiled on an annualised basis and is aggregated at county level. Therefore, overall figures for 2010 will not be available until early 2011. Information is provided by companies for statistical purposes only and due to data protection and...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The amount spent by my Department on mobile phone bills since 2007 is as follows: Year € 2007 €152,834 2008 146,155 2009 125,719 Jan – Jun 2010 60,944 The number of staff in the Department with mobile phones paid for by the Department has varied over the years but in August 2010 the number was 152. The mobile phone operator who has a contract with my Department is Vodafone. That...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of persons (full time equivalent (FTE)) employed in my Department, broken down by grade, is outlined in the following table. Grade Number of Staff Secretary General 1.00 Assistant Sec. 5.00 Special Adviser 2.00 Principal Officer 30.00 Assistant Principal 74.50 Admin. Officer 8.00 Higher Executive Officer 129.76 Executive Officer 227.90 Staff Officer 32.35 Clerical...