Results 361-380 of 7,153 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency, as part of the statutory responsibility assigned to it by the Oireachtas, and it is not a matter in which the Minister of the day has any involvement. I am informed by IDA that the IDA Board agreed to the sale of the Castledermot lands to Kildare County Council as far back as...

Written Answers — Employment Statistics: Employment Statistics (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Data on the aeronautics sector is captured in the Forfás Annual Employment survey as part of the overall metals & engineering sector. Therefore there is no overall breakdown for the aeronautics sector for the industrial development agencies under the aegis of my Department. As regards the indigenous aeronautics sector, there are 11 aerospace companies that are Enterprise Ireland clients,...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of staff that transferred to the Department of Education and Skills from Labour Force Development Division, including those staff dealing with FÁS was 24.8 full time equivalents. A further 6 staff transferred from the European Social Fund Financial Control Unit to the Department of Education and Skills in line with the Taoiseach's recent restructuring announcement.

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The industrial development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, and the Tipperary South County Enterprise Board, which function under the aegis of my Department, are responsible for investment and enterprise development in South Tipperary and, through their activities to achieve job creation. Following announcements of significant job losses in South Tipperary, the County Manager,...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 to 103, inclusive, together. The industrial development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, and the City and County Enterprise Boards, which are under the aegis of my Department, are the bodies responsible for investment and enterprise development across a broad range of sectors, including the video game and related industries. The majority of...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The industrial development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, and the South Dublin County Enterprise Board under the aegis of my Department, are responsible for investment and enterprise development in the Tallaght area and the activities carried out to achieve these objectives result in job creation. Since 2008, Enterprise Ireland has made payments of over €24 million to client...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The following outlines my Department's practice with regard to internal staff transfers and requests from staff for relocation or exchange. (i) My Department has a long-standing policy of affording staff the opportunity to experience different types of work in order to further their career development. The objective of the staff mobility policy operating within the Department is to help...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The allocation for training civil servants in my Department's Estimates for 2010 is €611,000. This allocation is intended to cover all training and development activities including training delivered in-house; attendance of staff at relevant external training courses, seminars and conferences; and refunds of fees made to staff who participate, in their own time, in approved Third Level...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (6 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws was transposed into Irish law by Statutory Instruments No. 290 of 2006 and No. 316 of 2008. My Department coordinates the national response to the Commission's requests for information in respect...

Written Answers — National Standards Audits: National Standards Audits (6 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am advised that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) are running a grant scheme called the "home energy savings scheme" which gives grants to homeowners to upgrade the thermal performance of their homes. Two of the methods that can achieve this are insulating the external wall using external insulation and/or full fill cavity insulation. The National Standards Authority of...

Written Answers — International Trade: International Trade (6 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2009 Ireland imported goods from Israel to the value of €82.5 million. In addition, services imports from that country for 2008, the last year for which data is available, were valued at €75 million. I understand that a preferential customs status applies for certain goods traded between the EU and Israel but that goods exported from illegal Israeli settlements cannot benefit from...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (6 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I would like first to clarify that there has been no formal proposal from the European Commission for a mixed harmonisation approach to the proposed Consumer Rights Directive under which a distinction would be made between, on the one hand, on-premises contracts and, on the other, distance and off-premises contracts. In an address to the European Consumer Day Conference on 15 March 2010,...

Written Answers — Industrial Properties: Industrial Properties (6 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2005, IDA Ireland identified a site of approximately 54 hectares of land in Carrigtwohill East as suitable for development and acquired it. Amgen subsequently entered into contracts to purchase the entire holding from IDA and, in 2006, applied for Planning Permission for a Bulk Manufacturing facility and associated works. Site ground works commenced in late 2006. The terms of the...

Written Answers — Industrial Properties: Industrial Properties (6 Jul 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 has two industrial estates in Youghal, namely Foxhole and Springfield. There are no buildings in IDA ownership in either estate. There was one building in IDA ownership on the Foxhole estate,...

Written Answers — Departmental Procurement: Departmental Procurement (6 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department and the Offices of my Department rely on the National Procurement Service of the Office of Public Works for the tendering and procurement of printing services. This service is provided principally by means of drawdown contracts, which sets out prices, terms and conditions under which supplies are delivered. My Department and the Offices of my Department obtain their supplies...

Written Answers — Foreign Direct Investment: Foreign Direct Investment (1 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been, and will continue to be, a key element in the export led recovery of this economy. In March 2010, IDA Ireland published 'Horizon 2020', a document which sets out the Agency's strategy for attracting FDI into Ireland in the coming decade. The targets for this strategy include the creation of 105,000 new jobs in Ireland in the period 2010-2014. Fifty...

Written Answers — Foreign Direct Investment: Foreign Direct Investment (1 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: An indication of IDA's commitment to balanced regional development is that one of the high levels goals in the Agency's new strategy, "Horizon 2020" is a commitment, that by 2014, 50% of all FDI investments will be located outside of Dublin and Cork. The challenge in achieving an even spread of investment is intensified as the sophistication of investments increase. Competition for Foreign...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (1 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Employment data in respect of companies supported by Enterprise Ireland is collated by Forfás on an annual basis and accordingly data is not yet available for 2010. To date in 2010 total funding of €2.78m has been provided by Enterprise Ireland to companies in County Waterford, to support enterprise, thus enabling job creation. This figure includes payments under the employment subsidy...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (1 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey shows that in the 3 year period 2007 to 2009, inclusive, a total of 343 new jobs were created in IDA supported companies in County Mayo. Details of the number of new jobs created in each of those years is set out in the statement. IDA Ireland recognises the need to provide high value employment opportunities in county Mayo, which provide sustainable...

Written Answers — Tax Audits: Tax Audits (1 Jul 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 60 together. My Department has no record of any voluntary disclosures having been made to the Revenue Commissioners from 2005 to date. No tax audits have been carried out by the Revenue Commissioners on my Department in that period.