Written Answers Nos. 321-335
321. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of high outpost ballast system, HOBS, trains operated by Iarnród Éireann; the cost of each HOBS train and the year purchased; if contracts are in place with private companies to discharge ballast throughout the rail network; the value of the contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34380/16]
View answerThe issue raised is a matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply.
Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
322. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a provision (details supplied) will exclude counties Westmeath, Offaly, Cavan, Longford and Tipperary; if this tender relates to the commitment in the programme for Government that a new lakelands brand will be established; and when the works will be completed. [34387/16]
View answerMy Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy. It is not directly involved in the management or development of individual tourism projects, such as the Lakelands, which are operational matters for the Board and Management of Fáilte Ireland.
The Programme for Partnership Government commits to the development of the "Ireland's Lakelands" brand. In keeping with that commitment Fáilte Ireland is undertaking a Destination Development and Feasibility Study to ascertain the potential for growth and the best mechanism to unlock those areas that lie between the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East, including counties that border the Shannon. The boundaries of the aforementioned initiatives will remain in place. The Fáilte Ireland Study will include areas of those counties that border the Shannon Waterway on both sides. Accordingly, depending on the recommendations of the Study, those areas along the Shannon may end up benefitting from the work of more than one brand.
A detailed project plan and timeline is being developed and it is anticipated that recommendations will be made towards the end of Quarter 1, 2017.
323. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the figures for the current usage of Dublin Port tunnel, in tabular form, broken into the different charging categories based on the time of usage; and if a comparison of the actual figures with the projected figures at the time of planning will be provided. [34388/16]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.
The planning, design and operation of individual road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) (formerly known as the NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within 10 working days.
The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
324. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding allocation for the past five years to the various sporting bodies and to the Olympic Council of Ireland, in tabular form. [34390/16]
View answerSport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the promotion, development and co-ordination of sport. This includes responsibility for the allocation of funding to National Governing Bodies of Sport.
As this question is a matter for Sport Ireland, I have referred it to Sport Ireland for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.
Details of grants provided to sporting bodies under my Department's Sports Capital Programme are published on my Department's website www.dttas.ie.
The referred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
325. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on a company (details supplied). [34396/16]
View answerUnder the Tourist Traffic Acts 1939-2011, Fáilte Ireland has specific powers and functions regarding the registration and grading of tourist accommodation. In accordance with the legislation, certain categories of accommodation, such as hotels and guesthouses, are statutorily obliged to register, whereas other accommodation segments, such as B&Bs or small self-catering schemes, are not. Furthermore, this legislation gives Fáilte Ireland the power, with the consent of the Minister, to make regulations prescribing certain tourist-related matters, including eligibility criteria for registration under various accommodation categories specified.
In addition to the statutory regulations, Fáilte Ireland also offers voluntary quality assurance approval and listing systems for the non-statutory tourist accommodation segment, including Irish home B&Bs, historic houses with accommodation and other atypical tourist accommodation businesses who could seek approval under the Welcome Standard. With specific regard to the company the Deputy mentions, it is a sales and marketing platform for a variety of accommodation types, including B&B and self-catering. Such accommodation providers, regardless of whether or not they use the sales and marketing platform mentioned, may apply for Fáilte Ireland approval.
Offering a wide variety of tourist accommodation helps ensure that various consumer preferences can be catered for and enhances supply in areas or at periods of high demand. In this regard, Fáilte Ireland engages with any accommodation providers and intermediary platforms whose offering aligns with the strategic objectives for the development of Irish tourism.
326. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to introduce regulations for rickshaws. [34397/16]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my answer to Question number 460 (reference no. 33050/16) which I answered on 2 November last. The position remains unchanged.
327. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will consider amending the name of the Workplace Relations Commission to the workplace relations and equality commission in view of the public understanding deficit regarding the role of the WRC in adjudicating on breaches of the Equal Status Acts, and the potential effect of this understanding deficit on persons bringing claims of breaches forward for adjudication and resolution. [34117/16]
View answerThe Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body that was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The Commission’s name was specified under Section 10 of this Act.
I believe that the suggested renaming to include Equality Commission in the WRC title would risk confusion with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), mandated to promote human rights and equality in Ireland. The IHREC clearly refer the making of complaints under the Equal Status Acts to the Workplace Relations Commission and provide the appropriate links.
The WRC assumed the roles and functions previously carried out by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), Rights Commissioner Service (RCS), Equality Tribunal (Eq T), the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) and the first instance (Complaints and Referrals) functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT), to provide a single point of access for complaints and disputes.
The WRC has a broad remit encompassing 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.
The WRC takes its role in relation to equality matters very seriously and has recently undergone a stakeholder engagement process with bodies in the equality sphere including the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
On a practical level, the WRC has updated its website so as to clearly highlight the range of information available on Equal Status related issues. This online resource is reviewed, updated and amended as required.
In addition, the Information and Customer Service staff of the WRC can provide information and assistance to persons who may not have online access and the WRC also provides presentations and outreach services to a variety of representative bodies on the full range of its services.
I do not propose to amend the name of the Workplace Relations Commission and I am confident that the WRC is well placed to fulfil its statutory obligations under the Equal Status Acts.
328. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the procedures in place to deal with complaints of breaches of the Equal Status Acts have changed since the Equality Tribunal was subsumed into the Workplace Relations Commission; and if she is satisfied with the procedures used by the WRC to handle complaints regarding breaches of the Equal Status Acts, specifically the requirement that complainants in the first instance attempt a resolution with a service provider themselves, unsupported, in view of the potential power differentials involved and the difficulties this could present for complainants. [34118/16]
View answerThe Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body which was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. As an independent body I have no involvement in its day to day running. The WRC 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.
The procedures for dealing with complaints of breaches of the Equal Status Act, set in place by the Equality Tribunal, have been largely undisturbed since the establishment of the WRC.
Section 21 of the Equal Status Act, 2000 requires the complainant to notify the respondent in writing of the allegation of discrimination within two months of the last occurrence. This notification period can be extended for reasonable cause or in exceptional circumstances may be dispensed with. The WRC provides a form on the website to assist complainants in notifying respondents and also provides a form for respondents to reply. The requirement to notify the respondent prior to lodging a complaint to the WRC has not changed with the establishment of the WRC. There is no requirement in the legislation or under any procedures used in the WRC which obliges the complainant to attempt a resolution with a service-provider.
Once a complaint is lodged with the WRC the parties may be offered mediation. In this regard, in addition to legal representatives who can advise and represent complainants, there are bodies that can provide support to persons who are contemplating bringing a complaint usually on a no fee basis.
329. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the procedure to be followed to obtain a work permit in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34260/16]
View answerMy Department’s Employment Permits Section has no record of the named person having applied for an Employment Permit. If the person is a non-EEA national, they must have either an employment permit or a permission from the Minister for Justice and Equality to live and work in the jurisdiction. The details of this person have been passed on to the Department of Justice and Equality and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) for consideration.
330. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the regulatory processes, statutory and non-statutory, in place to assess the economic impacts of all new regulations on business; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34323/16]
View answerGood regulation aims to provide a stable base for economic activity and a level playing field for business, while also protecting workers, consumers and the environment. Better Regulation Policy aims to ensure that the processes for generating new regulation, and for evaluating existing regulation, are as effective and efficient as possible. Regulation should achieve the policy goals underpinning it in the least costly manner possible, without undermining the protections that regulation provides.
A Government decision in April 2012 outlined the assignment of lead responsibility in respect of various functions in the regulatory area across a number of relevant departments. The functions assigned to my Department are reducing red tape/administrative burden; competition issues, and representing Ireland at EU/OECD/International fora. Lead responsibility for Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) rests with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, while the Department of the Taoiseach has lead responsibility for Effectiveness of Regulators. Lead responsibility for transparency/quality of legislation lies with the Department of the Taoiseach (Cabinet Secretariat), and the Attorney General’s office.
The principal tool for assessing impacts, including economic impacts, of new regulation is the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). As outlined in the 2009 Revised RIA Guidelines, the RIA is used by all Government Departments and Offices and applies to proposals for primary legislation involving changes to the regulatory framework, significant Statutory Instruments; proposals for EU Directives and significant EU Regulations when they are published by the European Commission; Policy Review Groups bringing forward proposals for legislation are also expected to carry out RIAs. In addition, where legislative proposals are to be considered by Cabinet Committees, RIAs should be prepared by Departments, for consideration by relevant Senior Officials' Groups, prior to their discussion by such Committees.
According to the 2009 Revised RIA Guidelines, it is not compulsory to apply RIA to the Finance Bill, and emergency, security and some criminal legislation. Other circumstances in which the RIA need not be used include the case of a regulatory proposal consolidating existing legislation and where no regulatory changes are being introduced; if legislation is drafted as a result of a court decision which leaves no discretion to consider alternative options or allow for meaningful consultation; where primary legislation is required to ratify international treaties which the Government has already signed up to and the proposed legislation does not go beyond the Treaty provisions and is only ratifying the Treaty – though if there are additional regulatory requirements then an RIA should be produced.
331. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on Ireland's fall to 18th on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business 2017 report, representing decline in consecutive years in this ranking; the steps being taken to improve competitiveness in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34325/16]
View answerThe Government’s Action Plan for Jobs, which is co-ordinated and developed by my Department since 2012, has set out a comprehensive set of measures to improve our competitiveness performance. Substantial progress has been made in terms of improving Ireland's competitiveness in recent years and we have climbed from 15th to 7th in the 2016 IMD competitiveness rankings. We have moved from 24th to 23rd in the WEF Competitiveness Report and we are now ranked 18th out of 190 countries in the World Bank Doing Business report.
The World Bank's Doing Business report looks at domestic, primarily small and medium size companies and measures the regulations applying to them through their life cycle. Based on standardised case studies, it presents quantitative indicators on business regulation that can be compared across 190 economies and over time. Doing Business goes beyond identifying that a problem exists and points to specific regulations or regulatory procedures that may lend them to reform.
In the 2017 report, Ireland’s was ranked 18th – down 3 places, compared with our revised 2016 ranking. While this is disappointing, Ireland is ranked 8th amongst EU member states. Doing Business also highlights many strengths – for example, we are ranked 5th for “paying taxes” and 10th for “starting a business”.
Furthermore, in terms of the Distance to Frontier benchmark - which measures Ireland’s score against the benchmark set by the best performing economy across ten different category headings – Ireland’s performance has actually improved slightly since 2016. Of course, other countries are also striving to improve their business environments, hence the improvement in our score but drop in our ranking.
This serves to remind us that competitiveness is a relative measure. The process of reform and improvement must be continuous.
I would also note that Ireland is a strong performer in other international competitiveness rankings – this year, for instance, we are ranked 7th out of 61 countries in the IMD’s World Competitiveness Yearbook - an improvement of 9 places from last year.
In July of this year, the National Competitiveness Council published its annual Competitiveness Scorecard benchmarking report which provides an in-depth assessment of all aspects of Ireland’s international competitiveness performance. The Council found that while Ireland’s competitiveness has improved in recent years –and has been central to recent strong economic growth, a number of threats persist, not least of which is Brexit.
The analysis contained in the Scorecard report is informing the development of the Council’s annual policy report Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2016 which I will shortly be brining to Government for consideration and which will contain a range of actions to enhance competitiveness.
My officials will continue to monitor publications such as the World Bank Doing Business report. Further actions and reforms - driven by the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs which is currently being prepared - will enable us to further narrow the gap with the world’s most competitive countries and improve the ease of doing business, ultimately helping us to achieve our objective of sustainable full employment.
332. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to immediately review Enterprise 2025 with respect to forecasts outlined on, for example, employment, unemployment and exports, considering the document was published in November 2015 in advance of the June Brexit referendum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34326/16]
View answerEnterprise 2025 set out the Government's ambitions for sustainable enterprise, employment and export growth. The growth potential was set in the context of the macro-economic forecasts contained in the Short-term Economic and Fiscal Outlook for the period 2014-2021 prepared by the Department of Finance. The Programme for Partnership Government affirms the ambition for the creation of 200,000 more jobs over the period 2016 to 2020 and my focus is on ensuring we deliver on that potential.
As a small open economy, Ireland needs to have an agile policy system in place so that it can respond effectively to change. The development of Enterprise 2025 was informed by ongoing global uncertainties – including economic, geo-political and technological uncertainties.
The core premise of Enterprise 2025 is that our policies will build resilience in our enterprise base – through increased investment in innovation, enhanced productivity and competitiveness, and by diversifying our export markets beyond the UK, and to broaden our geographic source markets for FDI.
This basic premise remains valid in the altered landscape post Brexit. The UK vote does mean, however, that we need to redouble our efforts to work with our Irish owned enterprises to manage through the uncertainty, and with foreign owned MNEs to capture opportunities for FDI.
In this context, I have secured the largest ever capital budget at €555 million for my Department - a 10 percent year on year increase. I have secured sanction for 50 additional staff across the agencies that will be deployed both at home and overseas to meet the challenges presented by Brexit. While accepting that new challenges exist, we remain ambitious and I have agreed targets with IDA and Enterprise Ireland to bring employment in each of their portfolios to over 200,000 next year.
I have established a Brexit Coordination Group within the Department where my senior officials and agency CEOs meet regularly to work through what needs to be done ‘on-the-ground’ to anticipate and respond to what is as yet an unknown outcome in terms of economic impact. We have increased our trade mission activity and engagement with potential investors in FDI. Enterprise Ireland has undertaken a review of its client base and is focused on supporting companies in the areas of market diversification, planning their next steps, competitiveness and innovation.
In addition in Budget 2017, the Minister for Finance introduced a number of measures to help get Ireland Brexit ready including: the retention of the 9 per cent VAT rate to help the tourism and hospitality sector to maintain competitiveness; the extension of the Foreign Earnings Deduction and of SARP until 2020; an increase to the earned income tax credit for the self-employed to encourage entrepreneurship; as well as the establishment of a rainy day fund. The Government is confident that appropriate fiscal policies are now in place. This will help us to adjust to the economic effects of the UK's negotiated withdrawal from the EU.
To reiterate, the UK vote has served to accelerate rather than redefine our enterprise policies. Just as the whole of Government responded to the severe unemployment challenge we faced post the global economic downturn, we will respond to the challenge that Brexit presents. We are taking action – we remain ambitious.
333. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the employment and unemployment projections in the ESRI report, Modelling the Medium to Long Term Potential Macroeconomic Impact of Brexit on Ireland; if Enterprise 2025 will be revised as a result of these revised projections; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34327/16]
View answerEnterprise 2025, the Government’s long-term enterprise policy, is an ambitious strategy, with the objective of delivering growth over the next decade that is sustainable. The objective is to achieve strong export performance that is underpinned by innovation, productivity, cost effectiveness and competitiveness. We aim to diversify our export markets beyond the UK and to broaden our geographic source markets for FDI. We aim to build resilience into our economy so that we can better respond to external drivers of change over which we have no direct control.
The Enterprise 2025 ambition was set in the context of the macro-economic forecasts contained in the Short-term Economic and Fiscal Outlook for the period 2014-2021 prepared by the Department of Finance. The Programme for Partnership Government affirms the ambition for the creation of 200,000 more jobs over the period 2016 to 2020.
Given our close economic ties any negative development in the UK economy in the medium term could have potential implications for the Irish economy. The ESRI analysis helps to model and quantify these impacts, despite how unprecedented Brexit is. It is important to recall that the ESRI analysis is based on a presumption of policy neutrality – that the government does not implement any policy changes in response to Brexit in the coming years. This of course is not the case. The Government and my Department have already started to implement changes with Budget 2017. Once the UK's exit negotiations are clearer, other financial measures may be added to counteract unknown consequences.
Achieving the policy objective of building economic resilience as set out in Enterprise 2025 remains a priority. The UK vote does mean, however, that we need to redouble our efforts to work with our Irish owned enterprises to manage through the uncertainty, and with the FDI sector to capture opportunities for new investment.
We are taking action. I have secured the largest ever capital budget at €555 million for my Department for 2017. I have secured sanction for 50 additional staff across the agencies that will be deployed both at home and overseas to meet the challenges presented by Brexit. While accepting that new challenges exist, we remain ambitious and I have agreed targets with IDA and Enterprise Ireland to bring employment in each of their portfolios to over 200,000 next year.
I have established a Brexit Coordination Group within the Department where my senior officials and agency CEOs meet regularly to work through what needs to be done ‘on-the-ground’ to anticipate and respond to what is as yet an unknown outcome in terms of economic impact. We have increased our trade mission activity and engagement with potential investors in FDI and with our Irish owned enterprises to support them in market diversification, planning their next steps, competitiveness and innovation.
In addition in Budget 2017, the Minister for Finance introduced a number of measures to help get Ireland Brexit ready including: the retention of the 9 per cent VAT rate; the extension of the Foreign Earnings Deduction and of SARP until 2020; an increase to the earned income tax credit for the self-employed; as well as the establishment of a rainy day fund. The appropriate fiscal policies that are now in place will help us to adjust to the economic effects of the UK's negotiated withdrawal from the EU.
Just as the whole of Government responded to the severe unemployment challenge we faced post the global economic downturn, we will respond to the challenges that Brexit presents.
334. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 616 of 11 October 2016, the number of IDA Ireland-sponsored visits in each county in 2016 up to 30 September 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34328/16]
View answer335. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if, in the context of IDA Ireland's Horizon 2020 strategy and the target that 50% of investments will be located outside Dublin and Cork, the number of the agency's sponsored visits to Dublin which also visited Cork and the number of the agency's sponsored visits to Cork which also visited Dublin since 2012 to the third quarter of 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34329/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 334 and 335 together.
IDA Ireland maintains statistics of site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. The latest data available covers the first three quarters of 2016, during which there were 489 site visits countrywide. The breakdown by county of those visits is provided in the enclosed table. The table also shows, on a county-by-county basis, the total number of IDA Ireland client company supported jobs, the number of IDA Ireland client companies and the total number of site visits in 2015.
Since 2012, there have been 1,027 visits to Dublin and 190 visits to Cork. This includes 204 visits to Dublin and 43 visits to Cork by quarter three this year. Some companies depending on their requirements may visit both Dublin and Cork on the same itinerary or choose to visit one county or the other. IDA Ireland cannot provide details on clients’ itineraries for reasons of client confidentiality.
In 2015, 57% of site visits were to locations outside of the capital, up from 43% in 2014. Figures for 2016 shows that this trend is continuing, with 58% of visits conducted so far this year being outside of Dublin.
It should be remembered that the decision by a company as to where to locate can be influenced by a number of factors. These include access to qualified talent, proximity to transport hubs, the ready supply of suitable property and the availability of business support services. While IDA Ireland actively encourages its clients to locate or expand in regional locations, ultimately the final decision always rests with the company concerned.
IDA Ireland Jobs Statistics 2015; Site Visits 2015 and to end Quarter 3 2016 by County
|
County |
Total Jobs 2015 |
Number of Companies 2015 |
Site Visits 2015 |
Site Visits end Q3 2016 |
|
Carlow |
768 |
7 |
1 |
8 |
|
Cavan |
1,165 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
|
Clare |
6,599 |
68 |
12 |
13 |
|
Cork |
31,900 |
148 |
48 |
43 |
|
Donegal |
2,918 |
12 |
5 |
6 |
|
Dublin |
77,244 |
652 |
242 |
204 |
|
Galway |
14,297 |
60 |
41 |
33 |
|
Kerry |
1,931 |
12 |
6 |
3 |
|
Kildare |
10,313 |
22 |
7 |
7 |
|
Kilkenny |
650 |
5 |
10 |
10 |
|
Laois |
97 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|
Leitrim |
423 |
4 |
8 |
6 |
|
Limerick |
8,849 |
52 |
40 |
39 |
|
Longford |
686 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
|
Louth |
3,245 |
21 |
20 |
17 |
|
Mayo |
3,981 |
18 |
3 |
4 |
|
Meath |
1,571 |
17 |
7 |
7 |
|
Monaghan |
146 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
|
Offaly |
902 |
10 |
8 |
4 |
|
Roscommon |
936 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
|
Sligo |
2,029 |
22 |
15 |
13 |
|
Tipperary |
3,518 |
12 |
12 |
8 |
|
Waterford |
5,662 |
33 |
31 |
15 |
|
Westmeath |
2,529 |
16 |
28 |
24 |
|
Wexford |
2,486 |
17 |
4 |
6 |
|
Wicklow |
2,211 |
18 |
7 |
4 |
|
Total |
187,056 |
1,254 |
565 |
489 |
