Results 321-340 of 7,153 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Trade Agreements: Trade Agreements (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Ireland does not have any trade agreements with Middle Eastern countries. Trade policy is an EU competence and the EU is currently either in negotiation currently, or already has Trade agreements with both individual countries in that region or with country groupings such as the Gulf Cooperation Council. Specifically on Iraq, an EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was concluded with...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The day-to-day management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is an operational matter for the agency and not one in which I have a function. I am informed by IDA Ireland that the agency hosted a site visit to the Fermoy Business & Technology Park by an overseas Life Sciences company on 11 November 2009. In addition, a second Life Sciences company visited Fermoy on 12 May 2010....

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department officials have established that the Deputy is enquiring about a grant application to Longford County Enterprise Board (CEB). As agencies operating under the aegis of my Department, the role of the 35 CEBs 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...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: Ireland's exports to China have expanded very significantly in recent years to the extent that we now have a trade surplus with that country. In addition, the number of Irish companies, which have established themselves in the country, has grown steadily. The Chinese market has been a strong performer in the Government's strategy to expand and diversify our exports. I have not been made...

Written Answers — Graduate Support Schemes: Graduate Support Schemes (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Enterprise Ireland's (EI) support to graduates currently falls into two categories, the Graduates 4 International Growth (Pilot Programme) and the Enterprise Ireland International Graduate Programme. The Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) programme, which was launched on 30 August 2010, aims to place 50 top-level college graduates in export-led Irish firms. It is 18 months in duration,...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: Agencies that come within my Department's remit are all non-commercial bodies, principally, though not exclusively, in the enterprise development sector such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA, County Enterprise Boards, etc., or on the regulatory side such as the Health and Safety Authority. A list of Agencies of my Department, detailing the date on which the Department received their Annual Report...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: Table 1 below outlines the number of persons (full time equivalents), broken down by grade, employed in my constituency office and in those of my predecessors, including each Minister of State from 14th June 2007 to date in 2010. It also includes the salary and overtime costs for each individual. These figures do not include Special Advisers as they are not assigned to constituency offices....

Written Answers — Western Development Commission: Western Development Commission (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The staffing levels for each Department and its associated offices and agencies will be determined by an Employment Control Framework to be agreed with the Department of Finance. I do not anticipate that the staffing levels for my Departmental Group, including the Industrial Development Authority and Enterprise Ireland, will have an impact on the Western Development Commission. I am...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1738 and 1739 together. My Department and the 8 Offices of my Department currently occupy 11 buildings within the State. A list of the buildings involved is in the tabular statement. With the exception of a building in Shannon occupied by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), none of the buildings or premises occupied by my Department and the 8...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Competitiveness Council, whose work is underpinned by research and analysis carried out by Forfas, examined electricity costs as part of its "Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2010" report, which was published last July. The report benchmarked industrial electricity prices for large energy users and for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) against a number of other EU...

Written Answers — State Banking Sector: State Banking Sector (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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 enterprise growth and economic recovery. Government has...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: There has not been a Task Force report in relation to the South West. The Task Force report published last year is that of the Mid West Task Force, which completed its Interim Report and submitted it to my predecessor in July 2009. Since then the Government has been responding to the report's recommendations under the various headings. I recently met with Mr. Denis Brosnan, Chairman of the...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The role of the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) is to support the micro-enterprise sector (i.e. businesses with 10 employees or less) in the start-up and expansion phases and to promote entrepreneurship at local level. Business growth, job creation and job retention are central to the activities of the CEBs. The CEBs provide both financial and non-financial assistance to a project...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The role of the County and City Enterprise Boards is to support the micro-enterprise sector (business not employing more than 10 people) in the start-up and expansion phases, to develop indigenous micro-enterprise potential and to stimulate entrepreneurship at local level. Subject to eligibility criteria new and developing micro-enterprises may qualify for financial support from the CEBs in...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: One aspect of the changes in responsibilities announced by An Taoiseach last March concerning my Department and the Department of Education and Skills was to streamline under one Department of State support for those who are seeking to re-skill and ready themselves to re-enter the jobs market. The overarching aims of all the changes made in March at Department level, as An Taoiseach told...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department's Annual Output Statement for 2010 sets out High Level Goals for each of my Department's Key Programme Areas, along with the Strategic Impact Indicators against which the Goals will be measured. These indicators serve as a measure of the outcomes of investment in the Programme Areas in question and of progress in achieving key Government objectives, such as increasing...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The following reviews were planned and completed between 1st January 2005 and 8th July 2010: 1. Expenditure Review of Science & Technology spending (completed in 2006), 2. Expenditure Review of Science Foundation Ireland (completed in 2008), and 3. Expenditure Review of the FÁS Competency Development Programme (Completed in July 2010). In addition, two Reviews are planned to commence this...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes made a number of recommendations addressed directly to my Department. I have outlined to the House on a number of occasion – most recently on 29 June in response to a written question from Deputy John McGuinness – my Department's position on each of the recommendations. Nonetheless, I appreciate that...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, the annual Estimates process is coordinated by the Department of Finance. The Minister for Finance presents the Estimates for Public Services each year in conjunction with his annual Budget. As far as 2011 is concerned, the Minister for Finance has previously indicated that a €3 billion adjustment in public expenditure will be required next year to continue the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The age profile of staff in my Department is set out in the following table. Under 50 50 - 60 Over 60 724 333 58 Of the 57 staff who retired in my Department since the embargo commenced in April 2009, 9 have been replaced through the redeployment of existing resources. Within the overall number of retirements since the embargo, 28 staff opted for voluntary retirement under the recent...