Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his attention has been drawn to a flooding issue (details supplied) in County Mayo; if he has had discussions with Mayo County Council on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11242/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Ballina was identified through the national Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment as an area where flood risk is potentially significant. It was therefore designated as an Area for Further Assessment (AFA) under the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The Western CFRAM Study is currently being undertaken by the Office of Public Works, with its technical consultants and in partnership with the relevant local authorities, including Mayo County Council.

The AFA analysis will enable the identification of flood risk management options for this area. Currently draft flood maps are being prepared and will go to public consultation in Autumn 2014. Further information on the study is available at .

Following recent flooding in Ballina, the CFRAM consultants collected flood event data in the locality. A draft report containing this information issued to Mayo County Council in early February 2014. This information will further support the CFRAM study thus ensuring that any mitigation proposals will be robust. On Friday 21 February I attended at Ballina local authority offices and met with officials and public representatives to appraise myself of the situation locally and also to visit and meet with those directly affected.

Pending finalisation of the flood risk management plan under the CFRAM Programme, it remains open to the Council to submit an application for funding under the OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation and Coastal Protection Scheme for possible localised measures to address the flooding problem at this location. Any application received will be considered in accordance with the scheme eligibility criteria, which include a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of resources for flood risk management. Application forms are available on the OPW's website under Flood Risk Management. It is also open to Mayo County Council to carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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89. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason Waterford was excluded from the recent Taking Care of Business seminars in view of the fact that it is a regional capital, has a large business community, and faces specific economic challenges as identified by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise Jobs and Innovation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11201/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The inaugural ‘Taking Care of Business’ event took place in Dublin in October last year. This event brought together a co-ordinating group of 27 Agencies and public bodies who organised and participated in this event. Feedback from the attendees was extremely positive and included a suggestion to hold regional events.

These regional events will be held in Limerick, Galway and Cork.

The Taking Care of Business co-ordinating group will meet in May to review these events and consider the scope for further regional events. Waterford will be the next venue for any subsequent Taking Care of Business events.

In considering the scheduling of such events it should also be noted that complimentary to the whole-of-Government strategy in 2014, the Department of Social Protection through the Pathways to Work strategy have organised an Employer Engagement event in Waterford on 24 March 2014. This event which takes place at the Intreo Offices, will allow employers to source information on the full range of employment and financial supports available to assist them to grow their workforce, including: JobsIreland, JobsPlus, JobBridge, and EURES. In addition, I plan to hold an Action Plan for Jobs Business forum in Waterford in April.

It is important to emphasise also that the full range of Government support for the SME sector remains available to business in Waterford. The South East Action Plan has drawn additional focus and effort of all the relevant agencies to Waterford and the neighbouring counties after many years of neglect. It is worth noting from the recent QNHS employment figures that the South East Region saw 15,000 more people in employment at the end of 2013 and that the unemployment rate has fallen by more than 3 percentage points. These figures, while positive, will simply encourage me and the Government to continue pursuing the policy agenda set out in successive Action Plans for Jobs.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide in tabular form the number, venue, list of speakers and chairs for the recent series of seminars entitled Action Plan for Jobs Regional Forum; the reason the particular chairs were chosen for each seminar; the Department and agency expenditure on each seminar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11202/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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As part of the Action Plan for Jobs consultation process, I have initiated a series of regional meetings across the country.

The purpose of each meeting is to outline the Government’s approach to the creation of employment and to promote increased take up of the new and existing supports which are available, such as the Micro Finance fund and the Credit Guarantee Scheme, to small and medium sized business to help them start-up, grow and expand their businesses and ultimately create jobs.

These meetings have been a good opportunity for me to meet with hundreds of business people across the country, to hear their views and ideas on what additional supports they need, to protect existing jobs and create new ones. The discussion and the ideas generated at each meeting feed into the Action Plan for Jobs consultation process. They also provide an important forum for businesses to connect with other local business leaders and also to engage with officials from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and the local County Enterprise Board.

Each meeting is usually chaired by a Minister or Minister of State at my invitation. On occasion an official from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, or a member of the Oireachtas, have stood in to chair.

Details as requested by the Deputy for the meetings held in 2013 and to date in 2014 are set out as follows.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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91. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding the proposed revised legislative framework in respect of registered employment agreements and in response to the May 2013 Supreme Court judgment McGowan and others versusThe Labour Court, Ireland and the Attorney General; if he intends to publish legislation soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11412/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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In the judgment delivered on 9 May 2013 in the McGowan case, the Supreme Court held that Part III of the Industrial Relations Act 1946 was invalid having regard to Article 15.2.1 of the Constitution.

Having considered the legal advice from the Attorney General on the implications of the Supreme Court ruling, and given the importance of the issue for employers and their employees, particularly in relation to rates of pay and tendering for contracts, I intend to bring forward legislation to address the ruling and to provide for a revised legislative framework to deal with those matters.

My Departmental officials have been working closely with the Attorney General and external Counsel on developing a framework, which will be fully informed by the Supreme Court judgment and Constitutionally robust.

To this end, on 7 February last, a draft framework document was circulated to relevant stakeholders for consideration. It provides for the setting of pay and pension and sick pay entitlements of workers in any particular sector and also for the registration of employment agreements to which there are only two parties, i.e. individual employer and trade unions.

Consultations on the draft framework have commenced with the relevant stakeholders. My expectation is that they will conclude quickly and I hope to bring proposals to Government in the near future.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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92. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on whether the current cost of public liability insurance is having a negative impact on tradespeople as they are having difficulty meeting the cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11450/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government is keen to see all costs related to doing business in Ireland being as competitive as possible, to allow enterprises to start-up, grow and create jobs.

The Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, T.D., has responsibility for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation. However, I understand that insurance companies are required under law to price in accordance with risk.

Public liability insurance and the price at which it is offered is based on the assessment an insurer makes of the risks involved and a need to ensure adequate provisioning for future losses.

The Government cannot interfere in the pricing of insurance products, but I would encourage all consumers, including tradespeople, to shop around in order to get the best price available on the market.

This year's Action Plan for Jobs was published by the Government on 27^th February and it places a strong emphasis on improving our competitiveness, including cost competitiveness. The Government will focus on competitiveness across all areas of economic activity in 2014 and will receive a report on competitiveness issues on a quarterly basis.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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93. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the action he is taking to increase jobs in the manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11465/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Forfás Strategy for the Manufacturing Sector, which I commissioned identified that an additional 20,000 jobs can be created in the sector by 2016. A complementary report was also published in relation to skills needs by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and Forfás.

Arising from the Strategy and the Skills Report, there are now a range of initiatives in hand by my Department and relevant Agencies to drive the 2016 target, with key actions from both reports having been incorporated into the Action Plan for Jobs. The Manufacturing Development Forum is helping to address the key issues arising from the Strategy recommendations which include delivering a National Step Change initiative to strengthen Ireland’s manufacturing base across all firms, redressing perceptions of the sector as a career choice and removing barriers to the competitiveness of the sector in Ireland.

In relation to employment in the manufacturing sector, full year statistics for 2013 are not yet available but the latest Central Statistics data shows that, in the 12 months up to end-September 2013, an additional 7,900 workers were employed in that sector, bringing the total to 213,600. When account is taken of indirect jobs, the sector now supports over 427,000 employees.

In the recently launched Action Plan for Jobs 2014, there are a number of specific actions that will support the manufacturing sector in Ireland. These actions will help facilitate the growth and development of the sector, and include:

- Supporting 130 indigenous companies with an initiative to improve their productivity as part of the National Step Change for Manufacturing;

- Delivering a transformation programme across 70 foreign-owned manufacturing and services companies in Ireland to achieve technology uplift, skills enhancement, energy improvements and investment in new facilities and equipment, and

- Supporting the adoption of LEAN manufacturing and other productivity enhancing measures across a wide range of enterprises including relevant micro-enterprises.

- I am confident that these specific actions will contribute to the development of the manufacturing sector in Ireland and that the resulting productivity growth and improved competitiveness will lead to the creation of more jobs in the sector.