Written Answers Nos. 284-301
284. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the automatic default to a higher payment plan which is part of Greyhound Household Recycling’s current renewal policy is in contravention of citizens’ rights and that a move to a more costly policy should only be possible by express consent on the part of the customer (detail supplied). [46619/15]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that, while I have responsibility for the legislation that regulates the contracts between businesses and consumers, it is not my function to investigate whether particular contract terms or commercial practices are in compliance with or contravention of that legislation. That is the statutory function of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission together in some cases with that of sectorial regulators. On the basis of the information supplied by the Deputy, the arrangements governing contract renewal in this case may give rise to questions as to their compliance with the requirements of the European Communities (Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts) Regulations 1995. Accordingly I have forwarded the details supplied by the Deputy to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission for consideration.
285. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent supporting research and development expenditure in the private sector and the proportion of that expenditure made up by direct expenditure as against tax expenditure in each of the years 2012 to 2015, inclusive. [46789/15]
View answer286. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the proportion of the amount of expenditure supporting research and development in the private sector which accrued to non-indigenous businesses in each of the years 2012 to 2015, inclusive. [46790/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 286 together.
Details of direct expenditure provided by agencies of my Department to the private sector to support R&D from 2012-2014 (latest available data) are detailed in the attached Table 1. Supports to foreign-owned companies are provided by IDA Ireland and supports to indigenous companies are provided by Enterprise Ireland (EI), although EI also have a small number of foreign owned companies in their client base.
Other Departments also provide direct support for R&D to the private sector either directly or through agencies under their remit.
The GBARD metric, (Government Budget Appropriations for Research and Development) captures total public sector expenditure on R&D. GBARD figures for 2012 – 2014 are detailed in table 2 below. GBARD includes a mix of support to companies but also support to Higher Education Institutes and academic researchers, much of which research is undertaken in collaboration with industry.
The Research and Development (R&D) tax credit is available to all companies that are undertaking qualifying research and development activities in Ireland or within the European Economic Area. The Department of Finance Review of the R&D Tax Credit 2013 found that the tax credit supports some 70% of business expenditure on R&D. Table 2 outlines the cost to the exchequer of the R&D tax credit for 2012-2013, the latest years for which data is available.
Table 1: Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland support for R&D in the private sector 2012-2014
|
Research & Development |
2012 (€) |
2013 (€) |
2014 (€) |
|
Enterprise Ireland |
46,901,000 (50.2%) |
48,996,000 (45.8%) |
50,057,000 (52.1%) |
|
IDA Ireland |
46,525,000 (49.8%) |
57,785,000 (54.2%) |
46,061,000 (47.9%) |
|
Total |
93,426,000 |
106,781,000 |
96,118,000 |
Table 2: GBARD and Cost to Exchequer of R&D Tax Credit 2012-2013
|
Research & Development |
2012 (€) |
2013 (€) |
2014 (€) |
|
GBARD |
760,000,000 (72.9%) |
733,000,000 (63.5%) |
724,000,000 |
|
R&D Tax Credit |
281,900,000 (27.1%) |
421,400,000 (36.5%) |
not available |
|
Total |
1,041,900,000 |
1,154,400,000 |
287. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the research budget he administers and the budgets administered by agencies of his Department; how the spending of these budgets is prioritised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46460/15]
View answerIn 2015, my Department was responsible for a research budget of €392m representing 53.32% of the total Government investment in R&D. The majority of this funding is administered through the various research funding agencies under the aegis of my Department as well as bodies such as the Higher Education Authority which is responsible for the administration of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI).
Insofar as prioritisation of these budgets is concerned, my Department’s investment in research is targeted in large measure at areas of economic opportunity that are strategically important to this country. This is the underpinning rationale for Research Prioritisation (RP), Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, adopted by Government in 2012 as the guiding principle for competitive public investment in research in support of the enterprise sector.
The recently published new strategy for research and development, science and technology “Innovation 2020 ” restates the validity of the rationale for adopting Research Prioritisation and commits to actions to ensure that public investment in research and innovation will continue to be aligned with enterprise opportunities.
In 2015 the principal components of the research budget of my department were as follows:
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) - €157.0m
This budget allocation allows SFI fund oriented basic and applied research in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) which promote and assist the development and competitiveness of industry, enterprise and employment in Ireland.
Enterprise Ireland (R&D programmes) - €119.43m
This budget allocation allows Enterprise Ireland (EI) to provide direct and indirect research development and innovation supports for indigenous companies, and to support the commercialisation of State funded research.
IDA Ireland - Research and Development Programmes - €62.0m
This funding allows IDA Ireland through its Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Support programme, to support FDI companies at all stages of RD&I and enable them to move from start-up R&D, through developing capacity and adding competence, to a fully integrated RD&I function.
Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) - €32.014m
The Programme supports the provision of top-class research infrastructure (buildings, laboratories and cutting edge equipment) as well as human capital development, through Structured PhD/Emergent Technology programmes across Ireland’s HEIs.
Tyndall National Institute (TNI) - €2.90m
The budget allocation to TNI allows it to continue to drive development of economic impact and job creation through the transfer of advanced technologies for exploitation by industry as well as the provision of ICT hardware solutions.
Subscriptions to international research organisations
In addition to the above agency and programme budgetary allocations my Department also funds Ireland’s membership of a number of international research organisations, principally:
- European Space Agency (ESA) €17.280m
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) €1.112m
- European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) €0.191m
Note: The 2015 budgetary figures listed above relate to budgetary allocations for that year.
2015 Supplementary Estimate
As part of 2016 Budget negotiations process, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform agreed to provide an additional amount of €29m in capital monies for research and development supports via the Department’s Vote in 2015. This additional €29 million funding allocated as follows:
Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) €23.5m
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) €5.0m
Tyndall National Institute (TNI) €0.5m
Taking the consequences of this Supplementary Estimates into consideration the 2016 research and innovation budget provision through this Department’s Vote is being maintained.
288. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the names of the persons he has nominated to serve in positions carrying remuneration, other than out-of-pocket expenses, on commissions, industrial, assurance, semi-State or other similar concerns; the amounts received annually in respect of each appointment; the name of the concern to which the appointment was made during the years 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46663/15]
View answerIn the time available, it has not been possible for my officials to compile all of the information requested by the Deputy. Once the available information is collated, I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy.
289. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of annual subscriptions to external membership bodies and groups his Department has including the cost and details. [46762/15]
View answerThe following table sets out the costs of Ireland’s membership subscriptions paid to external organisations through the Department’s Vote in 2015. Such organisations cover the areas of trade, research and innovation, intellectual property, competitiveness and employment rights.
|
Organisation |
Description |
2015 cost |
|
World Trade Organisation |
Payment of Ireland’s annual membership of the WTO. |
€2,018,914 |
|
OECD |
Ireland’s contribution to the Local Economic & Employment Development Programme. |
€29,000 |
|
OECD |
Ireland’s contribution to the Global Science Forum. |
€2,698 |
|
Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils |
Ireland’s contribution to the GFCC for membership. The annual cost is $10,000 US. The costs incurred in 2015 cover 2014 and 2015 membership. |
€19,129 |
|
European Space Agency |
Ireland’s annual membership and programme participation in ESA. |
€17,290,000 |
|
European Molecular Biology Conference |
Ireland’s membership contribution to the EMBC. The EMBC promotes excellence in fundamental basic research in Molecular biology and related fields across Europe. |
€190,107 |
|
European Molecular Biology Laboratory |
Ireland’s annual membership contribution to EMBL which is Europe’s flagship research laboratory for the Life Sciences. |
€1,115,882 |
|
EUREKA |
Ireland’s annual membership to EUREKA which is a close-to-market collaborative R&D programme operated on a pan-European basis. |
€25,990 |
|
COST – Co-operation in European Science & Technology |
Ireland’s membership in research and development networks spanning a range of scientific disciplines. The expenditure incurred in 2015 covers Ireland’s membership of COST to 2020. |
€11,202 |
|
World Intellectual Property Organisation |
Payment of Ireland’s annual membership of WIPO. |
€464,144 |
|
International Labour Organisation |
Ireland’s annual membership of the ILO. Cost includes a contribution to the ILO Training Centre (of €18,000). |
€1,545,000 |
|
European Association of Court Judges |
Ireland’s annual affiliation fee to the European Association of Labour Court Judges in respect of the Chair of the Employment Appeals Tribunal. |
€1,350 |
|
Hallmarking Convention Contributions |
Annual subscription by Ireland to the International Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals. |
€8,737 |
Sanction has recently been provided by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for the Department to provide funding to support Ireland’s membership of CECAM (Centre European de Calcul Atomique et Moleculaire). CECAM is a pan-European network which supports joint research and collaboration in the field of computational simulation science. The annual cost of Ireland’s membership is €30,000.
290. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of annual subscriptions to newspapers or magazines his Department has including the cost and details. [46763/15]
View answerThe total expenditure on subscriptions to newspapers and magazines by my Department and it Offices in 2015 was €27,823. The following table provides a breakdown of costs and details as requested. Total Expenditure Incurred by Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on Subscriptions to Newspapers and Magazines in 2015
|
Title of Newspapers/Magazines |
Number of Subscriptions (hard copy edition) |
Number of Subscriptions (on line edition) |
Total Cost of Hard Copy Subscriptions € |
Total Cost of On Line Subscriptions € |
|
Business and Finance |
8 |
- |
207 |
- |
|
Economist |
8 |
1 |
2,400 |
188 |
|
Phoenix |
6 |
1 |
368 |
63 |
|
Phoenix Annual |
2 |
69 |
||
|
Irish Times |
21 |
7 |
5,181 |
1,582 |
|
Saturday Irish Times |
1 |
130 |
||
|
Irish Independent |
9 |
2 |
3,060 |
320 |
|
Saturday Irish Independent |
1 |
120 |
||
|
Sunday Independent |
1 |
151 |
||
|
Irish Examiner |
3 |
1,428 |
||
|
Saturday Irish Examiner |
1 |
121 |
||
|
Financial Times |
10 |
4,499 |
||
|
Saturday Financial Times |
1 |
182 |
||
|
Financial Times on-line |
4 |
1,096 |
||
|
The Star |
4 |
1,425 |
||
|
The Star on Sunday |
1 |
52 |
||
|
The Sun |
3 |
715 |
||
|
Saturday Sun |
1 |
52 |
||
|
Sunday Sun |
1 |
52 |
||
|
Daily Mirror |
3 |
768 |
||
|
Saturday Mirror |
1 |
59 |
||
|
Sunday Mirror |
1 |
83 |
||
|
Daily Mail |
4 |
965 |
||
|
Saturday Daily Mail |
1 |
67 |
||
|
The Mail on Sunday |
1 |
114 |
||
|
Evening Herald |
3 |
913 |
||
|
Sunday World |
1 |
127 |
||
|
Sunday Business Post |
2 |
190 |
||
|
Sunday Times |
1 |
156 |
||
|
Meath Chronicle |
1 |
920 |
||
|
Subtotal |
24,574 |
3,249 |
||
|
TOTAL |
€27,823 |
291. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the annual cost to his Department of advertisements placed on its behalf in newspapers, magazines, television and radio and social media. [46764/15]
View answerThe total expenditure on advertisements placed by my Department and it Offices in newspapers, magazines and radio in 2015 was €553,264. The following table provides a breakdown of this amount by the categories requested. Total Expenditure by Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on Advertising in 2015
|
Advertisement Type |
Total € |
|
Newspapers (hard copy) |
82,943 |
|
Newspapers (on line) |
64,724 |
|
Magazines |
44,958 |
|
Television |
Nil |
|
Radio |
360,639 |
|
Social Media |
Nil |
|
Total |
553,264 |
292. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to provide a breakdown of the current staffing of Workplace Relations Commission inspector services in tabular form. [46795/15]
View answerThe Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was established on 1 October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015, and has responsibility for information provision, workplace advice, mediation, conciliation, adjudication, inspection and enforcement in relation to employment rights, equality and equal status matters and industrial relations. Its staff forms part of the overall Departmental staffing complement. The WRC assumes the roles and functions previously carried out by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), Equality Tribunal (ET), Labour Relations Commission (LRC), Rights Commissioners Service (RCS), and the first-instance (Complaints and Referrals) functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT).
The Labour Inspectors of the WRC carry out inspections of employer records with a view to determining compliance with employment rights and employment permits legislation. These inspections arise:
- In response to complaints received of alleged non-compliance with relevant employment rights legislation;
- As part of compliance campaigns which focus on compliance in specific sectors or specific pieces of legislation, or
- As routine inspections, which act as a control measure.
The aim is to achieve voluntary compliance with employment law through the provision of education and awareness, inspection of employers’ employment records and enforcement where necessary.
Staffing resources are allocated across my Department in the context of the requirement to manage the pay bill and staff numbers in accordance with Government policy, utilising available resources in the most effective and efficient manner as appropriate to business needs and priorities.
70.2 Full-time Equivalent posts comprise the staffing complement of the Workplace Relations Commission Inspector Services with the senior management and clerical support also having additional responsibilities as identified below. These comprise:
- Principal Officer 1.0
- Solicitor 0.6
- Assistant Principals 4.0
- HEO Support 1.0
- Clerical Admin Support 7.8
- Inspectors (Including Team Managers) 55.8
The Inspector Services are configured as set out below in the following table as requested by the Deputy.
|
Area |
Grade |
Title |
Staff (full-time equivalent) |
|
Inspection & Enforcement Services |
Principal Officer* Solicitor* Assistant Principal* |
1 0.6 4 |
|
|
Inspection & Enforcement Services Support |
Higher Executive Officer** Clerical Officer** |
1 2 |
|
|
Dublin Region Inspection & Enforcement Services (Dublin, Meath, Cavan, Louth & Monaghan) |
Higher Executive Officer Administrative Officer Executive Officer Clerical Officer** |
Inspector Team Manager Inspector Team Manager Inspector |
1 1 16 1.8 |
|
West Region Inspection & Enforcement Services (Clare, Limerick, Galway & North Tipperary) |
Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Clerical Officer** |
Inspector Team Manager Inspector |
1 8 1 |
|
South Region Inspection & Enforcement Services (Cork, Waterford, Kerry & South Tipperary) |
Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Clerical Officer** |
Inspector Team Manager Inspector |
1 5 1 |
|
East & Midlands Region Inspection & Enforcement Services (Carlow, Kildare, Wexford, Laois, Westmeath, Offaly, Kilkenny) |
Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer |
Inspector Team Manager Inspector |
2 13.8 |
|
North West Region Inspection & Enforcement Services (Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford & Donegal) |
Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Clerical Officer** |
Inspector Team Manager Inspector |
1 6 2 |
|
Total |
70.2 |
*The Principal Officer, Solicitor and Assistant Principals perform managerial functions across the Inspection and Enforcement Division and the Information & Customer Division.
** These staff have additional duties in the Information and Customer Division, dealing with phone queries and processing complaints for hearing by adjudicators.
293. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to support a matter (details supplied) regarding an employment permit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46942/15]
View answerIssues relating to deportation fall within the remit of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality. As to the issue of an Employment Permit, there is no record in my Department of an application in respect of the person named by the Deputy.
294. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the State organisations that have a North-South enterprise development remit by their activities and by the budgets that have been allocated and spent in this work in the past five years. [1030/16]
View answerInterTrade Ireland, the North South Body which is co-funded by my Department, is the only dedicated North South enterprise development organisation which comes under my remit. It operates a range of business development activities and is traditionally co-funded by my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland on a 2:1 (South:North) basis. My Department’s contribution to the Body’s total annual budget for the last five years has ranged from €6.638m to €8.164m. The variation in these figures is partly attributable to the fact that InterTrade Ireland’s main operating currency is sterling. The fluctuating exchange rate, together with other related factors, has therefore necessitated adjustments which are reflected in the relevant yearly allocations. The contribution paid by the Northern Ireland authorities for 2015 was also reduced and their contribution for 2016 has not yet been settled.
Other Development organisations which come within my remit, such as Enterprise Ireland and the border counties’ Local Enterprise Offices, have, on occasion, engaged in North-South activities. However, the primary focus of those bodies entails activities solely within this jurisdiction and they do not have specific financial allocations for cross border activities.
295. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of firms from the North that have used each of the services offered to them in the Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland agreement of January 2007 by year. [1031/16]
View answerAn inter-agency Agreement was signed between Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland in January 2007. This formalised a working relationship which has been in place over the past decades. Since the agreement, 70 companies from Northern Ireland have availed of Enterprise Ireland Trade Missions/Trade Fair services. Table 1 outlines the number of companies involved by year from 2007 to 2015.
Firms from Northern Ireland also have the facility to assess overseas offices. This is managed on an agreement basis per request. Enterprise Ireland is not aware of any such request from a firm from Northern Ireland in the past three years. Records are not maintained on this service provision.
Table 1 - Number of firms from Northern Ireland who joined Enterprise Ireland Trade Missions/Trade Fairs from 2007 to 2015.
|
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
35 |
8 |
13 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
296. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of Industrial Development Agency Ireland client visits in 2015 by county and by month in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1033/16]
View answer297. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of Industrial Development Agency Ireland supported jobs by county at 1 January 2015 and at 31 December 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1034/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 297 together.
IDA Ireland’s employment figures are presented on an annual basis through the Annual Employment Survey. Last week, IDA Ireland announced the highest level of employment in its client companies in its 67 year history, with 187,056 people now employed in companies supported by the Agency.
In 2015, IDA client companies created 18,983 new jobs across a range of sectors, with every region of Ireland posting net employment gains. The total annual net job gain amounted to 11,833, which compares favourably to the figure of 7,131 for the preceding year – a year-on-year rise of 66%.
The breakdown of the 2015 annual employment and site visit figures by county are currently being finalised. I will forward both to the Deputy as soon as possible.
298. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of Enterprise Ireland supported jobs by county at 1 January 2015 and at 31 December 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1035/16]
View answerEnterprise Ireland recently reported the creation of 21,118 new jobs by client companies in 2015. This translates into a net increase of 10,169 jobs for 2015 (taking account of job losses) in Enterprise Ireland supported businesses and brings total employment in these companies to 192,223 - a record high for the agency. Almost two thirds of the new jobs created were outside Dublin and all of the regions recorded increases in full-time employment over the period. Enterprise Ireland attributes this strong, mainly export led, job creation by Irish businesses to an improving entrepreneurial climate for start-ups, dynamic Irish companies innovating and scaling up in key sectors such as food, financial technology and business process outsourcing and improving international economic conditions. Employment data for Enterprise Ireland is collected annually as part of my Department’s Annual Employment Survey which measures the number of jobs in Agency assisted client companies on the 31 October in a given year. As a result, it is not possible to provide specific employment figures for the 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2015 as requested. I will forward data when it is available.
299. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of local enterprise office supported jobs by county at 1 January 2015 and at 31 December 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1036/16]
View answerStatistics in relation to the number of jobs created last year through support provided by the LEOs are currently being compiled as part of the 2015 Survey of client companies.
In 2014, based on the Annual Employment Survey of LEO clients, total direct employment among the 6,058 LEO client companies stood at 31,326, of which 22,555 were full-time and 8,771 were part-time jobs, an increase of 4,012 jobs in the year.
Figures for 2015, including on an individual LEO basis, will be announced as soon as the results are available.
300. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to support a matter (details supplied) regarding start-up businesses. [1143/16]
View answerI am informed by Enterprise Ireland that they have been liaising with the promoters concerned in regard to their business proposal. I understand from Enterprise Ireland that the company has been approved funding and is also in receipt of soft supports including mentoring. I would encourage the promoters to continue to interact with Enterprise Ireland concerning the assistance available to them for the development of their enterprise.
301. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to have a trade mission to India; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1164/16]
View answerWhile the Trade Mission programme for 2016 has yet to be finalised, India is core to Enterprise Ireland’s High Growth Market Strategy and it is expected that a trade mission to the country will take place in the latter half of 2016.
