Written Answers Nos. 53-63
53. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation when he expects to receive the final recommendations of the Copyright Review Committee; the timeframe in terms of new legislation being drafted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41591/12]
View answerAn independent Copyright Review Committee was established in May 2011 to examine the Irish copyright and legislative framework to identify areas that might be deemed to create barriers to innovation and to make recommendations to resolve any problems identified. The ‘fair use’ doctrine was also to be examined to see if it would be appropriate in an Irish/EU context.
The Committee conducted an initial consultation during the summer of 2011 and received submissions from a broad spectrum of interested parties. It published a comprehensive Consultation Paper in February, 2012 which examined the current legislative framework. It set out issues raised in the submissions, and requested responses to specific questions.
Further submissions were invited from those interested in these issues including Rights-holders, Collecting Societies, Intermediaries, Users, Entrepreneurs and Heritage Institutions. A public meeting was held on 24th March for the purpose of facilitating discussion in relation to the Consultation Paper. In the region of 180 submissions were received in which many complex and substantial matters were raised and these are currently being appraised by the Committee.
The Committee has indicted that it expects to submit its final Report containing recommendations and a draft Bill before March next year. Detailed consideration of the recommendations should then proceed immediately. As the number and complexity of proposals will not be known until then, nor whether detailed Regulatory Impact Analyses will be required, it is difficult to put a time frame on the process save to say that every effort will be made to have the matter expedited.
54. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the steps that he is taking to create jobs and stem on-going emigration. [41598/12]
View answerThe Government inherited a situation where 300,000 jobs had been lost in the three years prior to March 2011, our banking system had all but collapsed, and we were in the middle of a world-wide economic downturn. Previous Governments had become too dependent on a small number of sectors to support economic performance – an approach that was neither wise nor sustainable.
This Government has set about transforming the economy, firstly by making fiscal and bank consolidation more job friendly, including through tax changes, asset sales and the creation of a stimulus package. We have introduced the annual Action Plan for Jobs to support employment creation by the enterprise sector based on innovation, entrepreneurship and exporting. We have also developed the Pathways to Work initiative to transform our engagement with those who are unemployed.
The Action Plan for Jobs has an ambition of supporting an extra 100,000 jobs in the economy by 2016. The Plan contains 270 measures for delivery across all Government Departments, as well as 36 State agencies.
In spite of very difficult domestic and external economic environment, we are beginning to see the positive impact of the Government’s policies. 2011 saw an increase of 6,000 jobs in IDA-supported companies, compared with net losses of 15,000 jobs between 2008 and 2010. So far this year, the IDA has announced investments with the potential to create more than 6,000 further jobs as these projects come on stream.
Similarly, jobs in Enterprise Ireland companies started to grow again in 2011, for the first time in three years. In the first eight months of 2012, a total of 4,669 job commitments over the next three years, linked to Enterprise Ireland approvals to client companies, have been secured.
In spite of continued job losses in more traditional sectors such as Construction, and Financial, Insurance and Administrative activities, we are seeing a stabilisation in the level of private sector employment, particularly in areas targeted by the Action Plan for Jobs.
It is particularly encouraging that exports from indigenous companies have been growing even faster than FDI and reached €15.2 billion in exports in 2011 – the highest level ever. In spite of continued job losses in more traditional sectors such as Construction, and Financial, Insurance and Administrative activities, we are seeing stabilisation in the level of private sector employment. However, the downgrading of growth forecasts in most of our trading partners will create a particularly challenging environment for the next 12 months.
We are now working on the preparation of proposals for the Action Plan for Jobs 2013. I have had a number of constructive meetings and invite submissions for consideration.
58. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation his proposals for dealing with youth unemployment; and if he will explain the rate of progress that has been made to date. [41290/12]
View answerThe rise in youth unemployment as a result of the global economic downturn is a challenge for most EU countries. Comparative figures from Eurostat show that Ireland had a youth unemployment rate of 30.5% at the end of last year. The EU average was 22.1%, with several countries having a higher youth unemployment rate than Ireland.
The Government is tackling unemployment generally through the twin strategies of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. The aim of the Action Pan for Jobs is to support the creation of 100,000 net new jobs by 2016, while the objective of Pathways to Work is to ensure that as many of those jobs as possible go to those who are currently unemployed. Many young people will benefit from the opportunities provided through these initiatives.
The 2012 Action Plan for Jobs contains over 270 measures to be delivered across all 15 Government Departments and 36 State agencies. Pathways to Work includes various training, education and work experience initiatives delivered by the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Social Protection.
Under Pathways to Work, the Department of Social Protection is committed to supporting over 85,000 job placement, work experience and Back to Education beneficiaries this year, including through the JobBridge internship programme. To date, over 10,500 participants have commenced JobBridge placements, which by its nature, is very amenable to participation by young people. Preliminary statistics compiled by the Department of Social Protection indicate that in the region of 40% of interns have secured jobs following their participation on JobBridge. This number can be expected to grow as more interns finish their placements and more detailed data is gathered on outcomes from the programme.
The latest Quarterly National Household Survey, published by the CSO on 19 September, indicates that 66,500 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years were unemployed in the second quarter of 2012. Under the National Employment Action Plan process, 35,400 people under 25 years of age were referred to the Employment Services last year. Of those referred, 62% of clients had signed off the Live Register by the end of the year. For the first eight months of this year, there were 23,700 referrals affecting 18,300 young jobseekers. Over 18,000 persons aged 25 and under also completed a training course with FÁS in 2011.
The Department of Education and Skills will provide over 450,000 education and training places this year under Pathways to Work, across the range of provision in the higher education, further education and training sectors. These places will include provision for school leavers. The new €20 million Labour Market Education and Training Fund operated by the Department of Education & Skills will also include specific provision for those under 25 years of age.
59. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding his proposals to overhaul the five employment rights bodies; the date on which he intends to complete this project; the proposals he has in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41663/12]
View answerThe Government is committed to reform of the State’s Workplace Relations Services. The system that developed over the last sixty years had become unwieldy and complex; it lacked consistency, involved long delays and in some cases proved expensive for users.
In short the system was no longer fit for purpose and it was for this reason that I committed to delivering a root-and-branch reform with the objective of establishing a world-class Workplace Relations Service.
Significant progress has been made to date and I am happy to report that in the last year:
- Two public consultation processes were completed
- Two policy documents were published
- A new single contact portal has replaced the five separate entry points
- Complaints are now acknowledged, on average, within a week of receipt. This was previously taking up to eight months in some cases
- The employer is also notified, on average, within a week of the complaint being lodged thus increasing the possibility of a resolution being reached without the need for a hearing. Again this was taking up to eight months in some cases
- There are now no backlogs for Rights Commissioner hearings
- A Single Complaint Form has replaced the 30 forms previously in use
- A new workplace relations interim website is in place
- A pilot Early Resolution Service is now seeking to resolve disputes at an early stage without the need for adjudication.
In addition the Scheme of the Workplace Relations Bill has been prepared and Government Approval for priority drafting of the Bill has been secured.
I intend to progress the reform programme to the next stage with the same determination that has delivered the achievements to date. I am working towards delivery of the new two-tier Workplace Relations structure so that from next year two statutorily independent bodies will replace the current five.
In the meantime I intend to continue to progress the reform and bring about further enhancements for users of the services on an administrative basis in the coming months.
60. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the steps being taken to tackle the rise in underemployment as reported in the latest house quarterly survey. [41595/12]
View answerThe Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) provides estimates of the number of people who are working on a part-time basis involuntarily, which is also known as part-time underemployment.
Involuntary part-time work is defined by the OECD as comprising three groups: i) individuals who usually work full-time but who are working part-time because of economic slack; ii) individuals who usually work part-time but are working fewer hours in their part-time jobs because of economic slack; and iii) those working part-time because full-time work could not be found.
The estimated number of part-time underemployed persons in the second quarter of 2012 was 150,900. This number has been increasing continuously over recent years having been under 100,000 up to the start of 2009. Part-time underemployed people now account for over one-third (35.6%) of all people working on a part-time basis.
Opportunities to access full-time jobs and up-skilling and further career development are essential to overcome involuntary part-time work and to provide individuals with the necessary means to maintain their employability and make transitions work.
It will be through transitioning the economy onto a competitive and sustainable path that greater employment opportunities will be created for those that are currently underemployed. The policies to address underemployment are not dissimilar to wider employment strategy. Assisting companies to win new markets, to innovate and grow are essential to overcome underemployment. The Action Plan for Jobs concentrates on implementing changes to help promote entrepreneurship, improve access to finance, the capacity of our companies and educational institutions to innovate and build new sectors of opportunity.
61. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the number of enterprises that have closed since January 2011; and the programmes in place to support struggling small to medium enterprises [41617/12]
View answerThe latest official statistics available on business start-ups and closures were published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in their Press Release on “Business Demography 2010” which was published on 22 June 2012.
These returns show that:
- During 2010, there were over 195,000 enterprises active in the private business economy in Ireland, with nearly 1.24 million persons engaged;
- During 2010, over 11,000 enterprises were created.
- During 2009, more than 24,000 businesses ceased resulting in a loss of nearly 35,000 jobs.
Comparable CSO figures for 2011 will not become available until 2013.
It is an unfortunate reality that companies for a wide range of reasons find themselves in difficulty and early intervention is critically important. For this reason, the Enterprise Development Agencies, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Shannon Development operate an early warning system, which has been in place for over ten years. When triggered, this mechanism brings the full capacity of the agency concerned to bear on whatever situation has arisen within the client company. This involves engaging closely with those client companies reporting difficulties or potential job losses to determine what appropriate proactive measures can be put in place by the Agency to prevent or minimise the job losses.
Supporting SME’s in the current difficult economic climate is a key Government priority. Government actions to relieve pressure on small and medium sized businesses in the domestic economy are set out in the Action Plan for Jobs published in February 2012 and reported on quarterly.
In addition to the wide-range of programmes being delivered by the Enterprise Agencies, the Government is also focusing on other measures to address the challenge of access to finance being faced by SMEs. Last Thursday, my colleague Minister Richard Bruton launched the new Microfinance Loan Fund and we will shortly be launching the Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme.
We are also ensuring that Enterprise Ireland progresses the Development Capital Scheme and the Innovation Fund. This is real evidence of Government getting involved in filling gaps in the market and supporting viable businesses.
We are making solid progress on this crucially important agenda and have already put place a number of measures that will make a practical difference in making it easier for businesses to grow and create jobs. We will redouble our efforts in the coming year with the Action Plan for Jobs 2013 to ensure that we put in place policies that respond in a meaningful way to the many challenges faced by business on a daily basis.
63. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the number of recommendations of the Advisory Group for Small Business that have been implemented by him. [41618/12]
View answerThe Advisory Group on Small Business which I chair, published the Voice of Small Business Report in 2011, which was submitted to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Employment as the recommended small business actions for consideration in the Action Plan for Jobs.
The Voice of Small Business contains fifty-seven actions across twelve broad policy areas. Thirty-four of the Advisory Groups actions/recommendations were included in the Action Plan for Jobs. The first two Quarterly Reports of the Action Plan for Jobs shows that sixteen of the thirty-four actions met their Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 timelines (the others have varying timelines). The two Progress Reports are published on the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation website.
Eighteen further actions have different timelines which will be progressed over the remainder of 2012 and reported on in subsequent Action Plan for Jobs Quarterly Reports.
The remaining 23 Actions from the Advisory Group’s Report, not included in the Action Plan for Jobs will be considered for inclusion in the Action Plan for Jobs 2013.
