Skip to main content
Normal View

Wednesday, 15 Jan 2014

Written Answers Nos. 313-325

IDA Portfolio

Questions (313, 314)

Dara Calleary

Question:

313. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason for the selection of specific locations under the new property initiative outlined by Industrial Development Agency Ireland; the value of the planned investments; if further locations will be selected during 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1153/14]

View answer

Dara Calleary

Question:

314. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to include County Mayo in the new property initiative outlined by the Industrial Development Agency Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1154/14]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 and 314 together.

Under the Industrial Development Acts, the management of IDA Ireland’s property portfolio, including the provision of buildings for client companies, is a day to day operational matter for the Agency and not one in which I have a function. I am informed by IDA Ireland that the provision of property solutions by the Agency must be in line with the objectives set out in IDA Ireland’s strategy, “Horizon 2020”, which supports the winning of investments nationally across the targeted industry sectors. In order to boost regional development and win new business, IDA proposes to build advance facilities in the Regional Gateway locations identified, where gaps exist to meet FDI requirements.

As IDA Ireland’s property function is almost entirely self-financing, the proposed buildings will be funded directly by IDA on the basis of open market competitive tendering. I understand that the tender process is currently on-going. In the current economic climate coupled with the limited availability of funding for all capital projects, investment must be targeted to potential investment wins and associated job creation opportunities. I am informed by IDA Ireland that there are no plans at present to include Co Mayo in the recently announced property initiative. IDA Ireland has informed me that it will continue to assess the requirements in other regional locations on an ongoing basis. I should add that IDA Ireland has already invested in property solutions in Mayo (Castlebar, Westport and Ballina) and the Agency also partners with the private sector in the promotion of appropriate property solutions for FDI.

Industrial Development

Questions (315)

Dara Calleary

Question:

315. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of occasions on which the joint industry-Government big data taskforce has met since July 2013; the number of big data and data analytic initiatives it has identified; the number of pilot projects it has launched or envisages launching in 2014; the proposed budget line for these pilot projects in his Department's Estimates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1155/14]

View answer

Written answers

The Big Data Taskforce was established as part of the Action Plan for Jobs 2013 “Big Data” Disruptive Reform. The Taskforce held its inaugural meeting on 10th September 2013 and met on three subsequent occasions up to the end of 2013.

As part of the Taskforce’s fact-finding role, it engaged with the Government Departments and agencies managing significant data holdings and met with indigenous and multinational enterprises identified by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland as being amongst the most active in the area of Big Data and Data Analytics in Ireland. The Taskforce also engaged directly with representatives of the key research centres in Ireland active in the area of Big Data and Data Analytics.

From its engagement with stakeholders, the Taskforce engaged has identified examples of significant initiatives where public and private sector actors are already working together on large-scale data-intensive projects including, for example, the SmartBay initiative supported by the Marine Institute, the IBM-Dublin City Council collaboration on Smarter Cities, the Irish Spatial Data Exchange and the collaboration between Accenture and SAS and the Department of Social Protection.

In addition to these initiatives and projects, a large amount of information relating to private sector activities in the area of Big Data and Data Analytics has been shared with the Taskforce on a confidential basis.

The Taskforce was tasked under the Action Plan for Jobs in identifying at least two pilot initiatives whereby data analytics could be employed to address specific challenges delivering economic impact and/or improved public services. As set out in the Third Progress Report of the Action Plan for Jobs 2013, the Taskforce has already endorsed in principle two specific initiatives. The first initiative relates to the application of Big Data in an agricultural setting – the projects within this initiative will explore the commercial impact of Big Data solutions aimed at optimising farming production. The second initiative relates to the use of data analytics to support policy-making in respect of labour market activation in Ireland.

Additional projects may emerge during 2014 on foot of the Taskforce’s engagement with stakeholders and the Taskforce will consider if it is appropriate to endorse these as pilot initiatives in addition to the pilot initiatives already identified above.

Government support for the pilot projects may come in the form of access to data or other public facilities that are required and/or it may come in the form of direct financial support. No proposals for public funding have yet been received in respect of the two pilot initiatives that have been endorsed in principle. Should requests for funding arise, it is envisaged that these will be channelled through the appropriate Government/agency programmes as appropriate and will be subject to the award criteria and conditions of these programmes.

Consumer Protection

Questions (316)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

316. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980 or any other consumer rights legislation allows for retailers not to accept returns for faulty goods during a particular period and insist that those returning them return at a later time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1216/14]

View answer

Written answers

The rights and remedies that apply where goods are faulty are regulated by the Sale of Goods Act 1893 and Part 2 of the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980, the collective citation for which is the Sale of Goods Act 1893 and 1980. There are also parallel rights and remedies under the European Communities (Certain Aspects of the Sale of Goods and Associated Guarantees) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 11/2003).

Nothing in either the Act or the Regulations authorises a trader to refuse to accept the return of faulty goods during a particular period or to insist that they be returned at a later time. For both legal and practical reasons, it is advisable for consumers to return goods at the earliest possible time after the detection of a fault.

Section 43 of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 provides, among other things, that it is a misleading commercial practice for a trader to provide false information in relation to the legal rights of a consumer, or matters respecting when, how or in what circumstances those rights may be exercised, where that information would be likely to cause the average consumer to make a transactional decision that the average consumer would not otherwise make. A trader who engages in a misleading commercial practice under section 43 of the Act commits an offence. The imposition by a trader of onerous or disproportionate non-contractual barriers where a consumer wishes to exercise a contractual right might also be an offence under sections 53 and 54 of the Act.

If the Deputy is aware of a case or cases where traders are refusing to accept faulty goods during a particular period, I would invite him to submit the details to the National Consumer Agency for investigation.

Copyright Legislation Review

Questions (317)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

317. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the legislation underpinning for Irish Music Rights Organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1222/14]

View answer

Written answers

The Irish Music Rights Organisation is registered as a copyright licensing body in the Register of Copyright Licensing Bodies maintained in line with current Copyright legislation. Section 175 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000, provides that the Controller of Patents, Trade Marks and Designs shall maintain a Register of Copyright Licensing Bodies. The Copyright and Related Rights (Register of Copyright Licensing Bodies) Regulations, 2002, further specify the conditions that attach to registration.

Subject to meeting the criteria set out in the above legislation, the Controller may register the applicant as a copyright licensing body. In addition, IMRO Limited is registered under the Companies Acts at the Companies Registration Office as a company limited by guarantee not having a share capital. The company registration number is 133321. This information is all in the public domain on the websites of the Companies Registration Office at www.cro.ie and the Irish Patents Office at www.patentsoffice.ie.

IDA Site Visits

Questions (318, 319)

Gerald Nash

Question:

318. Deputy Gerald Nash asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of Industrial Development Agency client or potential client visits that were made by the IDA to Drogheda, County Louth, in the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013; if the IDA will engage in developing a regional manufacturing base or advance units in the town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1259/14]

View answer

Gerald Nash

Question:

319. Deputy Gerald Nash asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of Industrial Development Agency client or potential client visits that were made by the IDA to County Louth in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1260/14]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 319 together.

I am informed by IDA Ireland that in the past 4 years there have been a total of 77 IDA sponsored site visits by potential investors to County Louth. Site visits are tracked by the Agency on a county basis only. Details of the number of visits paid in each of the years 2010 to 2013 is set out in the attached tabular statement. There have been a number of substantial announcements for County Louth during 2012 and 2013, with the potential to create in the region of 1,800 jobs.

During 2012 announcements were made by YapStone International Ltd., (120 jobs in Drogheda, Diaceutics (20 new jobs over 3 years in Dundalk) while PayPal announced the creation of 1,000 jobs over four years at its new European Operations Centre in Dundalk.

During 2013 National Pen announced the creation of 200 permanent jobs over a 5 year period at its International HQ in Dundalk. BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), announced that €3.5 million has been invested in its plant in Drogheda on new equipment to manufacture state-of-the-art safety needles designed to help protect health care workers and patients from medical sharps injuries. The investment has created 28 new jobs at the plant. eBay, Inc., announced 450 high quality new jobs at an Operations Centre in Dundalk.

As at the end of 2013, there are 23 IDA client companies in County Louth employing 2,299 people. IDA Ireland is working closely with Dundalk Institute of Technology in the development of programmes to meet the changing needs of FDI investors. It is particularly encouraged by the initiatives of the college in the provision of both courses and facilities to encourage development. These include facilities to promote Digital Media and the Creative Arts, research areas of Ageing and Health; Energy and Environment and its Regional Development Centre in which there are a number of incubator units to promote start-up operations. The Regional Development Centre has been provided with direct funding from IDA Ireland's sister Agency, Enterprise Ireland.

In relation to opportunities for Manufacturing, I commissioned a major report from Forfás on this sector, which was published last year. The Strategy identifies that an additional 20,000 jobs can be created in Manufacturing by 2016 and it proposed key actions across a range of areas, including; access to new funding, management training/support, costs reduction, technology adoption and the implementation of a National Step Change initiative. A range of initiatives are in hand by my Department and relevant Agencies to drive this target, with key Actions having been incorporated into the Action Plan for Jobs. The Strategy did not recommend the establishment of specific facilities in individual regional locations.

Table showing the number of IDA sponsored site visits to County Louth in each of the years 2010 to 2013 inclusive

Site Visits

2010

2011

2012

2013

Louth

25

26

12

4

Public Sector Pensions

Questions (320)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

320. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form and year on year, the occasions on which he has signed off on the awarding of added years to public sector workers between March 2011 and December 2013; the grade of the persons awarded the added years; and the number of added years awarded in each instance. [1363/14]

View answer

Written answers

There are very limited circumstances in which added years are made to the pension entitlement of officers of my Department and, in the period in question, these occurred only in instances of ill-health retirements.

Between March 2011 and December 2013, my Department awarded added years to eight officers of this Department who, following advice from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, retired on grounds of ill-health. The grades in which the officials served ranged from Assistant Principal Officer to Cleaner. In all cases, added years were awarded strictly in accordance with civil service pension scheme arrangements.

The specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to these instances is set out in tabular form.

Year

Type of added years

Number of years awarded in each instance

2011

Ill-Health

6 years 243 days

Ill-Health

2 years 226 days

2012

Ill-Health

6 years 227 days

Ill-Health

6 years 243 days

Ill-Health

191 days

Ill-Health

1 year 87 days

Ill-Health

9 years 326 days

2013

Ill-Health

1 year 52 days

Appointments to State Boards

Questions (321)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

321. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form and year on year, the number of commercial and non-commercial State agency board positions under the aegis of his Department filled between March 2011 and December 2013; the number of these positions that were publicly advertised; and the number of female appointments. [1379/14]

View answer

Written answers

Since coming to Office, I have made 89 appointments to the Boards of Agencies under my Department’s remit. It should be noted that of these, only 30 were new appointments within my discretion. 21 appointments were reappointments and the remaining 38 were allocated under legislation to Department Representatives, social partners, nominees of other Ministers, nominees of prescribed bodies and appointments on an Ex Officio basis and were not appropriate, therefore, for public advertisement. Of the 30 new appointments made at my discretion, 20 were selected from applications from the public. A total of 25 vacancies on the State Boards under my Department’s remit were publically advertised. The specific information sought by the Deputy, insofar as it relates to appointments within the Minister’s discretion, is presented in tabular form below.

Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation - Agency Board Appointments within Minister’s Discretion

-

2011*

2012

2013

Total

Appointments

4

15

11

30

Publically Advertised

1

10

9

20

Female Appointees

1

6

8

15

*March 2011 to year End

National Internship Scheme Placements

Questions (322)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

322. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form and year on year, the number of JobBridge interns taken on in his Department in 2013. [1395/14]

View answer

Written answers

My Department is a participant in the "JobBridge National Internship Scheme” providing work experience placements for interns for a 6 or 9 month period. As interns gain valuable experience which should assist them in their future careers, my Department is pleased to be able to offer these opportunities where appropriate.

I might emphasise for the Deputy that Internships do not displace any existing staff and are not used to fill vacant posts. Rather they represent an opportunity for the Department to undertake once-off or project-type work for which there exists a clear definition of objectives relevant to the duration of the internship that we would otherwise be unable to undertake. They also, of course, afford the internee the opportunity to gain the aforementioned valuable work experience. The nature of intern placements offered to date by my Department has been in areas such as company law and legal research, intellectual property and copyright report research, records management and entrepreneurship strategy projects.

The information requested by the Deputy for 2013 has been set out, as requested, in tabular format.

Year

Number of JobBridge Interns taken on

2013

7

Employment Rights

Questions (323)

Maureen O'Sullivan

Question:

323. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation what protections are in place for jobseekers taking up temporary sole trader work if they need to return to social welfare, if they are being exploited by the number of hours and pay they receive; the obligations job search websites have on the types of jobs they are permitted to advertise; the vetting they are obliged to carry out on informal work offers wishing to advertise on the job sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1457/14]

View answer

Written answers

Ireland’s body of employment rights legislation protects all employees legally employed on an employer-employee basis in Ireland, regardless of the designation/job description given to them. Therefore, once it is clear that a person is working under a contract of employment, on a full-time or part-time basis, that person has the same protection under employment law as other employees.

Section 2 of the National Minimum Wage Act provides that a “contract of employment’ means-

(a) a contract of service or apprenticeship, or

(b) any other contract whereby an individual agrees with another person to do or perform personally any work or service for that person or a third person (whether or not the third person is a party to the contract), whether the contract is express or implied and, if express, whether or not it is in writing.

Any person with such a contract is entitled to be paid the appropriate national minimum hourly rate of pay.

Complaints received by the National Employment Rights Authority which concern employment status are initially examined using the provisions of the ‘Code of Practice Determining the Employment or Self-Employment Status of Individuals ’. A copy of this code is available for download from –

www.revenue.ie/en/tax/rct/determining-the-correct-employment-status-of-a-worker .

In circumstances where an individual’s employment status cannot be clarified, or is disputed, the employer or employee in dispute can make a request in writing for a ruling to the Scope section (Insurability of Employment), Deptartment of Social Protection, Oisín House, Pearse Street, Dublin 2. The telephone number is 01 673 2585. Information is also available on that Departments website, www.welfare.ie. Misleading advertisements affecting traders (defined as persons acting for purposes relating to the person's trade, business or profession) are regulated by the European Communities (Misleading and Comparative Marketing Communications) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 774 of 2007). These Regulations do not provide for any public enforcement role. It would instead be a matter for the trader affected by the misleading advertising to apply to the courts for an order to prohibit the advertisement.

Jobs Initiative

Questions (324)

Simon Harris

Question:

324. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will develop a national jobs strategy for young persons in an effort to better co-ordinate the various measures and supports in place and those which need to be put in place to help tackle youth unemployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1458/14]

View answer

Written answers

I am very much aware that young people have been the group most seriously affected over the past number of years by Ireland's economic collapse. As we see the early stages of an economic recovery, we also see that youth employment figures have started to increase in the past year. It is important that we continue on our course to turn our economy around so that we create more job opportunities not only for our young people but for all.

In relation to Youth Employment, the Government continues to tackle the issue of youth opportunities in the labour market through the combined efforts of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work strategies. The Action Plan for Jobs is a national jobs strategy across the whole of Government, which contains commitments specific to all Departments and many of their Agencies. This contains commitments to bring about a transition in the jobs and enterprise sectors to develop new job opportunities in sustainable sectors in order to create 100,000 jobs by 2016. It includes actions specific to our young people. It is encouraging to see signs of progress across a range of sectors and this is vital in order to continue to deliver job opportunities for young people.

Through Pathways to Work, the Government has brought in a range of new initiatives to support young people looking for employment, such as JobsPlus, JobBridge, Springboard, Momentum and the ICT action plan, which are delivered by the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills. The Government is taking steps to increase the number of places and make other enhancements to those schemes where possible.

My Department, together with Enterprise Ireland, is also examining options for CEB-led initiatives aimed at promoting youth entrepreneurship, including a mix of financial supports for business start-ups, feasibility studies and mentoring.

The Minister for Social Protection has the lead responsibility for the implementation of the EU Council Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee. The Department of Social Protection has set up an interdepartmental group with officials and programme managers from my Department and the Department of Education and Skills, and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, to review the current range of youth employment policies in Ireland to assess what measures will need to be taken to commence the implementation of the Youth Guarantee.

I understand that Ireland’s implementation plan for the Youth Guarantee was transmitted to the European Commission in December 2013 by the Department of Social Protection and that details will be made available shortly regarding the manner in which Ireland will pursue a phased implementation of the Recommendation in 2014 and subsequent years.

Departmental Agencies Board Appointments

Questions (325)

Seán Kenny

Question:

325. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps being taken to fill the post of chairperson and chief executive officer of the Industrial Development Agency Ireland which have become vacant recently. [1499/14]

View answer

Written answers

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that under the powers conferred on me by the Industrial Development Act 1993, I have appointed Mr Frank Ryan as a member of the Board of IDA Ireland and as Chairperson of that Board with effect from 1 January 2014.

Frank Ryan, is a distinguished public servant with over 35 years’ experience in supporting the economic development of this country and is ideally placed to oversee the next phase of growth in the multinational sector. I have every confidence that under his Chairmanship the multinational sector can continue the strong growth which has been so crucial to our economic recovery in recent years.

I should point out to the Deputy that the post of Chief Executive Officer of IDA Ireland has not yet become vacant. The current CEO, Barry O’Leary, has indicated his intention to step down from the post during the course of 2014. Accordingly, a process will now be put in place to ensure that a suitable successor to Mr. O’Leary is recruited and appointed.

Under legislation, the Chief Executive Officer of IDA Ireland is appointed by the Board of that agency on such terms and conditions (including remuneration) as that Board with the concurrence of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, may approve.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. O’Leary for his leadership of IDA Ireland during very challenging times and to congratulate him and the Agency on the recently published end of year results which show an increase in job creation and investments for the fourth consecutive year in a row.

Top
Share