Written Answers Nos. 281-293
281. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on Irish competitiveness and the ability to attract new and retain existing foreign direct investment employment from the United States should the US reduce its corporation tax rate in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35667/16]
View answerThere is no denying that American investment is very important to Ireland’s economic well-being. The US is the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) here, accounting for over 70% of the country’s FDI. Approximately 680 US corporations employ 135,000 people directly in a broad range of sectors such as information technology, biopharma, medical technology and financial services.
I recognise that changes to the US taxation regime could have an impact on the investment environment in Ireland. That is why the Government will analyse and assess any American reform proposals and will prepare accordingly for them. However, it is important to remember that US companies come to Europe and to Ireland for many reasons. A lower US corporate tax rate, for instance, would not reduce the need for American companies to have operations in Europe. Ireland remains, and will continue to remain, a very attractive location in which to invest and operate from for US businesses.
Within Europe, Ireland is seen as one of the most stable and pro-enterprise jurisdictions. We are also one of the most competitive, as evidenced by various international competitiveness rankings. The Government is determined that we retain that competitiveness going forward and will continue to take steps to address areas where we need to improve.
282. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 332 of 10 November 2016, and the admission that growth potential in Enterprise 2025 was informed by macroeconomic forecasts at that time, if she will review Enterprise 2025 and employment and export forecasts in view of the fact that latest macroeconomic forecasts for the short medium term have changed since the UK referendum result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35668/16]
View answerAs a small open economy, Ireland has in the past, and will continue to operate in an environment of continuous and fast-paced change globally. In today’s interconnected world, Ireland’s enterprise policies aim to build resilience into our economy – by strengthening the capabilities of our enterprises, diversifying export markets and source markets for investment and by maintaining our focus on Ireland’s relative competitiveness. Enterprise 2025, our agreed national enterprise policy, was developed in the context of ongoing global uncertainties.
It is accepted that the UK referendum result has created a high degree of uncertainty and, in that context, it can be expected that many, fluctuating macro-economic, trade and employment forecasts will be produced between now and the UK leaving the European Union.
Enterprise 2025 provides a robust framework that remains valid and sets out an ambitious policy approach. That ambition must be maintained despite any turbulence in international developments. If anything, the result of the UK referendum has placed an increased emphasis on re-doubling our efforts. At the same time, I know that the UK referendum result requires specific policy responses in parallel with the implementation of Enterprise 2025. My Department and others across government are taking action. The enterprise development agencies are working closely with companies to provide the support and advice needed. As part of Budget 2017 I secured additional resources for the Department and its agencies, with up to 50 additional staff to be provided to secure our ambitious indigenous exports, inward investment and jobs growth targets. My focus remains on achieving the Government’s ambition of having an extra 200,000 at work by 2020. Details of action taken to date were provided in my earlier reply to a related question (REF 34327/16, question number 332 of November 10th 2016).
In light of the foregoing, and notwithstanding the challenge facing us, I do not anticipate any revision to Enterprise 2025, or its ambition, at this time.
283. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to ensure a full debate takes place in Dáil Éireann in relation to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, trade deal with Canada with special focus of the investor state dispute settlement, which permits and empowers foreign companies to sue sovereign governments when laws are enacted nationally which interfere or restrict such companies projected unearned profits; if the Government is rejecting this private court system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35701/16]
View answer284. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if it is the intention of the Government to pursue under an Article 218 (II) reference to the European Court of Justice under the Treaty of the Functioning of EU to clarify the legality of the investment arbitration proposals in Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement under EU law; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35704/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 284 together.
On 30 October 2016, EU leaders and the Canadian Prime Minister met in Brussels for the 16th EU-Canada summit and signed the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement. CETA is a comprehensive and progressive trade agreement between the EU and Canada. It removes over 99% of tariffs that currently hinder trade between the EU and Canada. It is expected to increase bilateral trade by €12 billion per year, and to generate growth and new jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
Given the position taken by Ireland and other Member States, the Commission submitted CETA to the Council for decision as a mixed Agreement. That is one requiring both EU and individual Member States ratification. As this process may take a number of years to complete the Agreement provides for provisional application. The Agreement has now been signed so the next step is the ascent of the European Parliament.
It is important to note that investment protection and investment dispute settlement provisions have been excluded from the provisional application of the Agreement. This means these provisions will not come into being until voted for by the Dáil and every other Member State according to their constitutional requirements.
The EU and Canada have also agreed a legally binding Joint Interpretative Instrument that has been added to CETA to provide further assurances in relation to public services, labour rights, environmental protection and investment.
The Government does not propose to seek an opinion from the European Court of Justice on the legality of the Investment Court System in CETA under EU law. The Deputy will be aware that the opinion of the ECJ has already been sought in relation to the EU Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the outcome of this case is awaited.
CETA and the EU’s other trade agreements help to open new markets, break down barriers and provide new opportunities for Irish firms. Ireland stands to gain substantially from this Agreement and I am looking forward to Irish firms enjoying the benefits and new opportunities as soon as possible.
285. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the details of all pension top-ups paid in respect of chief executives of semi-State companies under the aegis of her Department, including the name of the organisation, the name of the chief executive, the amount of the top-up, the date of payment, and if the top-up was approved by his Department in each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35885/16]
View answerEnterprise Ireland is the only Semi State Company under the aegis of my Department to pay a pension top up to it CEO during the period in question. Frank Ryan former CEO of Enterprise Ireland was awarded 3.824 added years to his pension in accordance with the terms of the 1998 Severance and Early Retirement Scheme to CEO’s of State Sponsored Bodies. Details of the additional amounts paid are listed in the following table.
|
Agency |
Additional Years |
Additional Pension p.a |
Additional Net Lump Sum |
Date of Payment |
Approved by Dept. |
|
Enterprise Ireland |
3.8247 |
€9,041.35 |
€14,466.17 |
7/3/2014 |
Yes |
286. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the costs incurred to date under headings such as office accommodation, legal expenses, salaries and so on for each commission of investigation formally established since 2012 by her Department; the estimated final cost; the expected completion date of the commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35651/16]
View answerThe Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters is the only Commission of Investigation established under the aegis of my Department. It was established by Government on the 17th February 2015 (S.I. No. 57 of 2015) and is due to submit its three reports by February 2018.
The costs associated with the Commission are met from my Department's Vote. Since its establishment the Commission has directly incurred costs totalling €3.015m (to end of October 2016). This expenditure consists of €1.630m in pay; €1.117m for operational costs (including accommodation), and €0.268m for other costs related to the investigation.
In addition, my Department has also incurred costs to date of approximately €0.386m in supporting the establishment and operation of the Commission.
Due to the nature of an investigation process, and the volume of information being analysed across the various strands of this investigation, it is not possible to provide an estimate of final costs at this time.
287. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of Tusla social workers allocated to work with unaccompanied minors; the amount of funding required to increase this team by 20, 30 and 50 social workers; her plans to increase the capacity of this team; the timeframe for such an expansion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35518/16]
View answerThe information requested is not readily available in my Department. My officials have requested the information from Tusla and I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with it.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
I refer to your written parliamentary question (35518/16 of 17 November 2016) requesting information in respect of the number of Tusla social workers allocated to work with unaccompanied minors; the amount of funding required to increase this team by 20, 30 and 50 social workers; plans to increase the capacity of this team and the timeframe for such an expansion.
As advised in my response on the 17 November, the information was being compiled by Tusla and was not available at that time. Tusla has since confirmed that the staffing allocation for the Unaccompanied Minors Asylum Seekers Team was 12.33 WTE in 2014; 12.79 WTE in 2015; and 12.82 WTE in 2016.
The costs associated with increasing the number of social work staff allocated to work with unaccompanied minors are set out in the table.
|
Number of extra Social Work Staff |
Associated cost |
|
20 |
€983,760 |
|
30 |
€1,475,640 |
|
40 |
€2,459,400 |
Tusla continues to have ambitious recruitment targets and expects to recruit an additional 663 whole time equivalent posts across a range of professional, para-professional and business support functions before the end of 2017 to meet critical concerns. In addition to social workers, it is important to recruit other grades such as family support staff and administrative support to ensure an efficient service with the appropriate mix of staffing.
Under Tusla’s Equity of Care principle, unaccompanied minors receive the same level of protection and care as any other child in State care thus ensuring that there is no differentiation of care provision, care practices, care priorities, standards or protocols.
I am eager to expand our ability to make a greater commitment to these most vulnerable of children and I am confident that the additional funding announced by this Department for Tusla in 2017 will allow the Agency to continue building an effective and responsive child protection and welfare system.
288. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she and her Department, along with Tusla, will embark on an information and awareness raising campaign to attract new foster families willing to foster unaccompanied minors leaving refugee camps; her targets in that regards; if she is working with An Garda Síochána to fast track vetting for such families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35519/16]
View answerI have asked Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to review its ability to provide safety, protection and hope to greater numbers of unaccompanied children, and to assess the additional resources that may be needed. This review will address the possible placement options that may be needed to meet the needs of the individual children involved. As this work progresses, the foster care capacity that is needed to support unaccompanied minors will be clarified. Any decisions regarding information campaigns to recruit or the assessment process for foster carers will be made in this context.
289. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 674 of 18 October 2016, if the action 1.8 in the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which states that Tusla will provide additional emergency refuge accommodation spaces for victims of domestic violence, is the same as the extra eight family units that were promised for 2016 for the greater Dublin area as stated in the reply to the parliamentary question. [35638/16]
View answerIn 2016, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has allocated funding of €20.6m for a network of some 60 organisations providing services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland. Almost €12.0m is provided for emergency refuge and support services and a further €4.6m is provided for other community based domestic violence support services. The level of expenditure in this area will further increase in 2017, arising from the provision of €37m in additional funding to Tusla for services generally.
Tusla provides revenue funding towards the running costs of emergency refuge accommodation. Local authorities are responsible for capital funding in respect of emergency accommodation spaces. In the current year, Tusla is providing funding to support eight additional family units of accommodation; six additional family units of emergency accommodation in Dublin and Kildare and two emergency safe housing units in Sligo. The emergency domestic violence accommodation spaces in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing will be in addition to those already supported by Tusla.
Tusla is engaged with a number of specialist domestic violence service provider organisations and other stakeholders about additional provision to support families in safe accommodation in 2017 and beyond. Tusla’s focus is on achieving the optimum use of emergency shelter accommodation and effective community based services to avoid, in so far as possible, the need for use of refuges by vulnerable women and families.
My priority, and that of Tusla, is to ensure that the needs of women and children fleeing domestic violence are being met in the most effective way possible. I am committed to continuing support for these vital services.
290. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of all pension top-ups paid in respect of chief executives of semi-State companies under the aegis of her Department, including the name of the organisation, the name of the chief executive, the amount of the top-up, the date of payment, and if the top-up was approved by his Department in each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35881/16]
View answerThere have been no pension top-ups paid in respect of Chief Executive Officers in the agencies under the aegis of my Department, namely, the Ombudsman for Children's Office, the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Children's Detention Schools and Tusla.
291. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there are any funding schemes available to voluntary search and rescue units (details supplied) as the work they do in supporting the civil authorities at a time when persons are missing or injured is vital and requires funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35540/16]
View answerCivil Defence, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Defence, provides assistance to the Principal Response Agencies, such as An Garda Síochána. Civil Defence services are delivered at local level by the relevant local authority. Civil Defence is funded on a 70:30 basis by the Department of Defence and the local authorities.
The Department of Defence does not provide funding to any other voluntary search and rescue units.
292. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of the 14 self-inflicted deaths and suicides in the Defence Force personnel, who had previously been prescribed Lariam that were reported as a possible adverse drug reaction by Defence Forces medical staff to the Health Products Regulatory Authority or its predecessor, the Irish Medicines Board. [35703/16]
View answerI have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Defence Forces. I will revert to the Deputy in due course.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
On 20 October, 2016 in response to Parliamentary Question No. 309, I indicated that there were 14 self-inflicted deaths of Defence Force members who had previously taken Lariam. The Defence Forces has since clarified that there were 12 self-inflicted deaths of Defence Force personnel for the period 2000 to 2012 who had previously taken Lariam and not 14 as indicated in previous responses. One individual’s death was accidental and one individual had not been prescribed Lariam, and these had been included in the original figure of 14. A review of the twelve medical files shows that none of their medical files make any reference to the reporting of potential or actual adverse reactions to the Irish Medicines Board/Health Products Regulatory Authority.
293. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the details of all pension top-ups paid in respect of chief executives of semi-State companies under the aegis of his Department, including the name of the organisation, the name of the chief executive, the amount of the top-up, the date of payment, and if the top-up was approved by his Department in each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35883/16]
View answerThe only state body currently under the aegis of the Department of Defence is the Army Pensions Board which is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The Army Pensions Board does not have a Chief Executive so the question of pension top ups does not arise.
In the years 2011-2012 two other state boards operated under the aegis of the Department of Defence – the Civil Defence Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard. In the case of the Civil Defence Board it was headed up by a civil servant at Principal Officer level to whom relevant civil service pensions applied. During the years 2011 and 2012 the formal wind up Coiste an Asgard, including voluntary strike off with the Companies Registration Office, was being managed by staff of my Department and as such the question of a pension top up to a Chief Executive did not arise.
