Written Answers Nos. 659 - 677
659. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will undertake a full review of the rights of artists here, including a thorough examination of our existing copyright laws and the current Competition Act. [19823/16]
View answerThe Deputy will recall that, in my previous response of 31 May 2016, I advised that the report of the Copyright Review Committee entitled “Modernising Copyright” was published in October 2013. My Department has conducted extensive analysis of the recommendations since. As advised, it is my intention, in coming weeks, to bring to Government the Department's response to the Committee’s recommendations and to seek approval for legislative proposals in relation to a number of the Committee's recommendations.
Artists who are employees in Ireland have the same rights as all other employees. In cases of self-employed artists, as with other self-employed workers, the application of competition law would only be a consideration if there are allegations of anti-competitive behaviour.
660. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will establish a local enterprise office in Drogheda, County Louth, following the recent referendum decision in the United Kingdom (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19131/16]
View answerThe role of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) is to promote entrepreneurship at the local level. The LEOs provide information, guidance and ‘soft’ supports to anyone seeking to start or grow a business. Subject to certain eligibility, they offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (10 employees or fewer) in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sector which, over time, have the potential to develop into strong export entities.
As you may be aware, the Government Decision of April, 2012 provided for the dissolution of the 35 County Enterprise Boards and the establishment of 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) in each Local Authority area. On this basis the LEO Louth was established in the County Council Offices in Dundalk. My Department has no plans to deviate from this model.
The attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Ireland is the responsibility of IDA Ireland. The Agency also works to retain, transform and expand the existing base of FDI companies that have already invested and located in Ireland.
The new Regional Action Plans for regional development provide a structure for all the stakeholders in each region to work together in a collaborative manner to maximise future FDI investment potential, in conjunction with other economic development objectives such as indigenous industry and tourism. IDA Ireland has set new and ambitious FDI targets for every region in the country. IDA North East Region comprises counties Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. There are 33 multinational companies based in the North East, employing 4,556 across the Region. The highest concentration of companies is located in Louth (21), Cavan (7) and Monaghan (5).
IDA Ireland is constantly engaged with clients across its entire portfolio and in the months leading up to the UK referendum it engaged with clients and prospective clients in relation to the potential impact of BREXIT. IDA Ireland has in place a Team involved in strategic scenario planning. This team continues to work on ensuring that the Agency’s strategy is fit for purpose in light of the recent referendum results in the UK. IDA Project Managers are currently in contact with clients, and prospective clients across the globe and they continue to market a competitive value proposition to attract mobile foreign investment from global locations including the UK.
661. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the findings of a risk assessment report in 2013 regarding contingency plans considered in the event of Brexit and whether Enterprise Ireland had sufficient resources in place, including staff allocations, to deal with such an outcome; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19300/16]
View answerEarlier this month Enterprise Ireland reported that its client companies saw an increase of 10% in exports in 2015 amounting to an all-time high of €20.6bn. The export figure is now almost double what it was 10 years ago (€10.73bn in 2005).
Exports to the UK increased by 12% last year to reach €7.5bn. Significantly however, in the context of Brexit, UK exports, as a share of total exports, have reduced from 45% to 37% over the period 2005 to 2015 as our clients have diversified their export base. High Growth Markets (e.g. China, Brazil, etc.) have continued to increase in importance over the past 10 years and at €2.5bn they now account for 12% of total exports compared to 7% in 2005.
Despite the continued diversification of the Enterprise Ireland client export base, the UK’s vote to leave the EU will present significant new challenges for Irish companies exporting to the UK. In response, Enterprise Ireland has begun its plans to support clients exporting to the UK, including:
1. Information and Guidance:
Enterprise Ireland will run an information campaign including: practical guides, online information and webinars, an updated UK market access guide and regional seminars in Ireland and the UK. These will provide guidance on issues including: the implications of trading with the UK, improving competitiveness, reducing supply chain costs, accessing funding, finance, foreign exchange, employment regulations and legal issues.
There is also a dedicated email address: brexithelp@enterprise-ireland.com; an Enterprise Ireland helpline: 01-7272727 and dedicated webpage: www.enterprise-ireland.com/brexit.
2. UK Market Support:
Enterprise Ireland's UK team, based in London, will provide support to clients to help identify key business opportunities in the short and medium terms. They will also provide advice and support on responding to the implications of Brexit such as improving competitiveness and reducing supply chain costs.
3. Competitiveness and Market Development supports:
Enterprise Ireland will intensify its work with clients to improve their competitiveness in the market through its management capability and development programmes.
4. Market Diversification Support:
Enterprise Ireland will intensify its strategy of supporting clients to diversify into new markets. As part of this strategy, Enterprise Ireland will provide increased internationalisation supports to assist client companies to evaluate new market opportunities. It will also intensify its International Trade & Investment events schedule for the rest of 2016 to include trade missions and events to Northern Europe, USA, China, India and other high growth markets. Enterprise Ireland will also host an International Markets week in the first week of October in Ireland, to provide Irish exporters with access to its overseas market advisors.
5. International Sector Clustering Strategy:
Enterprise Ireland will expand its focus on promoting Irish sectoral cluster capabilities in key sectors to international buyers in growth markets including Northern Europe, USA and Asia Pacific.
I am satisfied that Enterprise Ireland is already intensively engaged with its clients on the implications of Brexit. As the situation evolves and specific challenges emerge, I will keep under review the resources required to address them.
662. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if a company (details supplied) is in breach of consumer protection legislation by automatically opting customers into a pay-by-weight system on 1 August 2016 unless customers contact the company themselves before 1 August 2016 to state that they wish to opt out and avail of the 12-month price freeze announced by Government last week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19448/16]
View answerDetermination on whether consumer protection legislation has been breached is ultimately a matter for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and/or the Courts depending on the relevant legislative provision. The CCPC, which is statutorily independent in the exercise of its enforcement function, has advised me that the matter referred to in the Deputy’s question is under examination along with a number of other consumer issues which have arisen as a result of the introduction of a pay by weight charging structure for household waste. The CCPC has further advised that it cannot comment on the matter or give a time frame for the completion of its examination.
663. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the measures that have been adopted to date to transpose Directive 2014/104/EU on private party actions for damages for infringements of European Union competition law; the further measures proposed; if it is intended that the directive will be fully transposed into national law by 27 December 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19547/16]
View answerThe Deputy may be aware that some provisions of Directive 2014/104/EU already exist in national legislation or in existing court rules. The other provisions of the Directive that need to be transposed are being considered during the drafting process currently underway and will be addressed in the transposing legislation, and/or by amending court rules, by the deadline of 27 December 2016.
664. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is concerned that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, received the lowest ranking of any antitrust enforcement agency worldwide in the 2015 Global Competition Review ratings; if she will give consideration to both a staffing and organisational review of the CCPC, in particular regarding cartel investigations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19548/16]
View answerThe Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is an independent statutory body and I, as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation have no direct function in the day to day operations of the Agency including in relation to its internal organisational structure and investigation activities.
As the Deputy is aware, the Global Competition Review (GCR) is a review of competition agencies in a select number of developed economies.
Historically, the competition regime in Ireland scored highly on the GCR review in times when the Agency was at full staff complement. However, the number of staff in the Competition Enforcement Division declined due to retirements and resignations.
Following its establishment in October 2014 and in view of the significant number of vacancies that existed at that point in time, the CCPC took the opportunity to review its organisational structure to ensure it would be structured effectively and to ensure it would utilise the extensive professional and technical expertise that existed amongst its staff.
The CCPC is now well advanced into the process of hiring 25 additional staff to make up the numbers that have been depleted over the years and to resource new functions. Some of these vacancies are in the competition enforcement divisions. The CCPC is confident that once these resources are fully integrated that it will again climb up the GCR rankings.
675. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff employed in her Department's archive unit in each of the years 2010 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; her plans to expand this number; if there are protocol changes arising from changes to the National Archive Acts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19619/16]
View answerResponsibility for records management and the implementation of the National Archives Act, 1986 is dispersed across the Business Units in my Department. There is no central Archives Unit. In accordance with the National Archives Act, 1986, Regulations 1988, the Secretary General has appointed officers of not less than Principal Officer and equivalent grades as Certifying Officers for the purpose of the National Archives Act, 1986. The role of the Certifying Officer is to sign the Certificates provided for in Sections 7 and 8 of the Act which relate, respectively, to the retention and disposal of Departmental records and the transfer of Departmental records to the National Archives. The Freedom of Information Unit in my Department provides advice and promotes best practice with regard to records management and the implementation of the National Archives Act, 1986 in the Business Units across my Department.
While it is proposed to amend the National Archives Act, 1986 to reduce the period after which records are to be transferred to the National Archives from 30 years to 20 years on a phased basis, Department by Department, there are currently no plans to increase the number of staff in my Department whose work relates to records management and archiving. Officials in my Department regularly engage with officials in the National Archives Office for the purpose of availing of their advice and guidance with regard to the implementation of the National Archives Act, 1986.
676. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when the Industrial Development Agency last visited Cavan and Monaghan; the number of new jobs which have been created by the IDA in the past 12 months; the plans of the IDA to attract companies to Cavan and Monaghan; the success of the IDA with this strategy for Cavan and Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19638/16]
View answerIDA Ireland markets Cavan and Monaghan as part of its North East Region. There are seven IDA Ireland client companies in Cavan and five in Monaghan. This existing client base has performed well with a total of 1,311 IDA supported jobs in Cavan and Monaghan. 81 new jobs have been supported by IDA in these counties in 2015.
Figures for IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits are collated on a quarterly basis and are set out in the following table together with a breakdown of jobs and new jobs. It is important to note, however, that data on site visits is not an accurate measure of the level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) activity in a region or county. That is partly because approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base, rather than new companies.
IDA Ireland positions the North East as having strong clusters in international business services and manufacturing, given the presence there of such companies as eBay, PayPal, Liberty Mutual, Cargotec, Wellman and Abbot. These international brands are an attraction and serve as significant reference corporations for additional companies that are considering locating to the North East. The proximity of the region to Dublin also helps increase its attractiveness to prospective investors.
IDA Ireland remains committed to significantly increasing the number of investments outside Dublin, including the North East, and the Agency will continue to work with both stakeholders and existing clients with that goal in mind. It is the case, however, that while IDA Ireland does attempt to influence the choice of location by investors, the final decision as to where to both visit and ultimately locate is taken in all cases by the client company itself.
IDA Ireland Jobs Statistics 2015; Site Visits 2015 and Quarter 1 2016 for Cavan and Monaghan
|
County |
No. of Companies |
Total Jobs |
New Jobs 2015 |
Site Visits 2015 |
Site Visits Q1 2016 |
|
Cavan |
7 |
1,165 |
29 |
0 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
5 |
146 |
52 |
2 |
0 |
677. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding au pairs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19683/16]
View answerI am aware of the Private Members Bill titled the Au Pair Placement Bill 2016 to which the Deputy refers. The Bill will be considered by Government in due course.
