Results 101-120 of 551 for speaker:Michael Ahern in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — National Reform Programme: National Reform Programme (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: The Irish national reform programme brings together a broad range of policies and initiatives to sustain Ireland's strong economic growth and employment performance as part its contribution to the relaunched EU Lisbon Agenda over the period to 2008. It was agreed that Ireland's social partnership process would serve as the Irish national reform partnership under the Lisbon Agenda. The...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: The Law Reform Commission, in its report published in October 2005, recommended that as the current law of corporate liability for manslaughter does not provide a clear basis for constructing liability, a new basis, in legislative form, is necessary. To this end the commission included the draft of a short Bill in its report. The commission also recommended that there should be individual...

Written Answers — Statutory Audits: Statutory Audits (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 47 together. Exemption from statutory audit removes the need for companies to engage an independent external auditor. Following a proposal and recommendation from the task force on small business, audit exemption was first introduced in Ireland under the Companies (Amendment)(No. 2) Act 1999 and came into effect on 21 February 2000 for certain small...

Written Answers — Intellectual Property Rights: Intellectual Property Rights (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: Improved access to medicines is a matter which has been considered and discussed by World Trade Organisation, WTO, members in Geneva in the context of the agreement on trade related aspects of intellectual property rights, known as the TRIPs agreement. Multilateral trade policy, in the context of the formulation and development of the common commercial policy of the European Union, is a...

Written Answers — Intellectual Property Rights: Intellectual Property Rights (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: The current body of Irish legislation in the intellectual property field provides a comprehensive legal framework for the protection and exploitation of such property. However, the field of intellectual property is constantly evolving in response to advances in technology and other developments internationally. My Department is therefore fully alert to the need to keep the present legislation...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 133 together. I would refer the Deputy to the reply I made to similar questions put by him on 7 February 2006. As a small open market economy, exporting over 90% of its GDP, Ireland is hugely dependent on the ability of its exporters to succeed in world markets and has, as a result, fully embraced the global economy. Figures released this week by the...

Written Answers — Export Licensing: Export Licensing (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: My Department is fully seized of the need for oversight and public transparency in the area of export licensing of military and dual use goods. This issue was addressed in the 2004 Forfás review of Ireland's export controls, which recommended that an annual report be laid before the Oireachtas on the licensing and export of military and dual use goods. The new export control legislation...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: Work on drafting the heads of the export control Bill has been completed and consultations with other relevant Departments and agencies are under way. I expect this process to be completed within the next few weeks at which point I will bring it to Government for approval. Allowing for the formalities of drafting the legal texts, I hope to bring the legislation before the House in the autumn.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (21 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: At present, annual returns for companies can be filed wholly electronically in the Companies Registration Office. However, it is necessary to use a software package to avail of that facility. A recent development is that companies have been able to appoint electronic filing agents since 1 December 2005. The further development of the on-line annual return facility is at an advanced stage and...

Written Answers — Patents Office: Patents Office (21 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: The Patents Office has provided on-line searchable access to the Patents Office Journal via its website at www.patentsoffice.ie since November 2002. Since December 2002, it has also been possible for the public to access and search on-line the office's patent, trademark and design registers and databases free of charge, via the office's website. On 15 December 2004, the office implemented its...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (21 Mar 2006)

Michael Ahern: Maintaining Ireland's attractiveness as a competitive and profitable European location from which to do business is a key priority for the Government, and the Department's enterprise support policies clearly reflect that commitment. Our economy is undergoing fundamental change, and while we are no longer a location of choice for basic, low-value-added manufacturing investment, we have...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (7 Feb 2006)

Michael Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140, 327 and 334 together. Ireland's economic growth and development is built, to a significant degree, upon the export activities of Irish based companies. The global economy, which Ireland has fully embraced for the betterment of all export orientated firms and their employees, offers immense opportunities for Irish companies with a small domestic market....

Written Answers — Anti-Competitive Practices: Anti-Competitive Practices (7 Feb 2006)

Michael Ahern: While I am aware of recent media reports of allegations of anti-competitive practices in the cement industry, I have had no formal communications in the matter nor has my Department had any communication with the EU Commission. The Competition Authority is an independent statutory body responsible for the enforcement of competition law in the State and I have no day to day involvement in the...

Written Answers — Trade Liberalisation: Trade Liberalisation (7 Feb 2006)

Michael Ahern: The agreement reached in Hong Kong provides for a continuation of negotiations across the full spectrum of areas within the Doha Development Agenda, with a recommendation of a deadline of concluding the negotiations successfully in 2006. The Hong Kong ministerial meeting progressed important objectives including that of agreeing a package of measures of benefit, in particular, to least...

Written Answers — Trade Liberalisation: Trade Liberalisation (7 Feb 2006)

Michael Ahern: Since adoption of the WTO July 2004 Framework Agreement, WTO members have focused their attention on non-tariff barriers, NTBs, in recognition of the fact that they are an integral and important part of the non-agricultural market access, NAMA, negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda. The recent Sixth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference, in Hong Kong, noted that the WTO...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (7 Feb 2006)

Michael Ahern: It had been intended that I would lead a trade mission to Ukraine later this month, but unfortunately, due to a combination of factors it was not possible to finalise the necessary arrangements to facilitate this. Nevertheless, there is considerable interest among a range of Enterprise Ireland client companies in visiting the country to pursue business contacts and trade opportunities. It is...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (25 Jan 2006)

Michael Ahern: Directive 2001/84/EC, on the resale right for the benefit of the author of an original work of art, has not as yet been transposed. Because of the novelty of such right to Irish law and the directive's provision of options as to how several key aspects may be implemented, transposition by means of primary legislation rather than regulations under the European Communities Act is required. My...

Written Answers — Company Registration: Company Registration (25 Jan 2006)

Michael Ahern: A company may not be registered, under the terms of the Companies Acts 1963 to 2005, with a name that is, in the opinion of the Registrar of Companies too similar to that of a company on the Register of Companies. When considering whether to allow a name for a new company, the words "Irish" or "Ireland" are not considered to be distinguishing words because all companies registered in the...

Written Answers — International Trade: International Trade (15 Dec 2005)

Michael Ahern: Ukraine is one of Europe's largest countries, with GDP growth of 12.1% in 2004, and is currently one of Europe's fastest-growing economies. To date, it has been a largely untapped market for Irish exports. Significant export market potential exists in Ukraine in telecommunications and IT, construction materials and services, agricultural machinery, food-processing, health care,...

Written Answers — Trade Statistics: Trade Statistics (8 Dec 2005)

Michael Ahern: The euro was adopted by 12 member states on 1 January 2002 and in the three complete calendar years since that date, the relevant details are as follows: in 2002, the value of overall trade, imports and exports, to other members of the eurozone was €47.623 billion. Total trade in 2002, to all countries, amounted to €149.081 billion. Overall trade with members of the eurozone in 2002, as a...