Written Answers Nos. 747 - 767
747. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of foreign direct investment supported jobs in, created in and lost respectively in the Shannon Free Zone in each of the years 2014 to 2016, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4066/17]
View answerIDA Ireland collates its employment data on an annual basis by region and county only. The Agency therefore does not have readily available specific information on foreign direct investment supported jobs in the Shannon Free Zone.
The following table, however, sets out the total jobs, gross job gains and the gross job losses for Co. Clare - where the Shannon Free Zone is located - for the period from 2014-2016. At the end of 2016 there were 71 IDA Ireland client companies in the county, up from 68 in 2014.
|
County |
- |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Clare |
Total Jobs |
6,486 |
6,607 |
6,662 |
|
Clare |
Gross Job Gains |
443 |
530 |
295 |
|
Clare |
Gross Job Losses |
-310 |
-409 |
-240 |
748. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department or a body under its aegis has undertaken any research on the costs imposed on small to medium businesses of commercial rates; if so, the central findings of this research; and the estimated average cost of commercial rates in different local authorities for various sized businesses. [4275/17]
View answerImproving Ireland’s competitiveness position is a key economic priority for Government. As set out in 'A Programme for a Partnership Government', our objective is to protect our national competitiveness from unsustainable cost growth and to deliver a job-fit business environment which ranks in the top tier globally.
The most recent Costs of Doing Business Report published by the National Competitiveness Council provides an assessment of Ireland's cost competitiveness performance vis-a-vis a range of competitor countries. It found that Ireland’s cost base has improved across a range of metrics over the last five years. This has made Irish firms more competitive internationally and made Ireland a more attractive location for firms to base their operations in. However, despite these improvements, the Council warns that Ireland is particularly vulnerable to external shocks beyond our control – external risks at the moment include in particular Brexit, oil prices and exchange rate movements. My Department and its agencies continually engage with relevant public and private stakeholders, as there is a role for both the public and private sectors alike to proactively manage their cost base and drive efficiency improvements.
Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. Commercial rates form an important element of the funding of all local authorities. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation of each property, determined by the Valuation Office, to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority in their annual budget and its determination is a reserved function of a local authority.
As set out in the 2016 Action Plan for Jobs, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government encouraged local authorities to exercise restraint in adopting the Annual Rates on Valuation and, where appropriate, the Base Year Adjustments for 2016. It encouraged local authorities to provide to the greatest extent possible certainty for commercial ratepayers in terms of the impact harmonisation may have on their rates bills in future years.
Following the reorganisation of local government structures arising from the Local Government Reform Act 2014 there are 31 local authorities which adopted an Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV). 11 local authorities are not affected by rates harmonisation measures provided for in the Local Government Reform Act 2014. This is due to those local authorities either having amalgamated prior to establishment day under separate amalgamations, or due to there being no former town or borough councils in the local authority area. Two of these local authorities (Galway City Council and Limerick City and County Council) increased their ARV for 2016 and nine adopted the same ARV in 2016 as in 2015. The average increase in ARV for this group of local authorities was 0.46%. The remaining 20 local authorities are required by law to harmonise their rates through implementing the Base Year Adjustment (BYA) process. In 2016 of 74 former rating authority areas within the 20 local authorities subject to the BYA, ARVs have increased by an average 3.07% in 40, decreased by an average 1.12% in 17 and remain unchanged in a further 17. This equates to an overall average increase of 1.4% in commercial property rates.
749. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of tourism and hospitality skills training positions allocated to the counties of Roscommon and Galway in 2015 and 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4347/17]
View answer750. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding allocated to counties Roscommon and Galway for tourism and hospitality skills training in both 2015 and 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4348/17]
View answer751. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the agency or Government body which has oversight and responsibility for tourism and hospitality skills training here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4349/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 749 to 751, inclusive, together.
Fáilte Ireland was established under the National Tourism Development Act 2003. One of its stated primary functions as specified in legislation is: “To encourage, promote and support the recruitment, training and education and development of persons for the purposes of employment within the Tourism Industry”. Fáilte Ireland is an agency under the aegis of the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport.
The Department of Education and Skills is the Department of the Irish state with responsibility for education and training. This includes further education and training provision in the Education and Training Boards as well as within several Institutes of Technology aimed at job opportunities in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
The Hospitality Industry also has a responsibility for the attraction, retention and development of its workforce including the provision of career progression opportunities.
The successful development of the sector, including the provision of a sufficient quantity and quality of skills, requires a collaborated approach by industry, education and training providers and other relevant stakeholders.
My Department has no function with regard to the allocation of funding for skills training in the Tourism and Hospitality sector. SOLAS, operating under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills has oversight of funding allocation for Education and Training Boards and may have data available at sector and county level.
752. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of IDA visits for potential foreign direct investment for counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Offaly, Laois, Kilkenny and Waterford in each of the years 2012 to 2016, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4391/17]
View answerIDA Ireland maintains statistics in relation to site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. From 2012 to 2016 inclusive, there was a total of 725 IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits to counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Offaly, Laois. Kilkenny and Waterford. The following table sets out the breakdown by county of these visits.
It is important to remember that the number of site visits to a particular county is not necessarily an accurate measure of the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) activity in the area. That is because approximately 70% of all FDI won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base, rather than new companies.
Breakdown by County 2012-2016:
|
County |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Clare |
14 |
5 |
9 |
12 |
18 |
|
Cork |
38 |
31 |
30 |
48 |
49 |
|
Galway |
18 |
15 |
19 |
41 |
42 |
|
Kerry |
1 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
|
Kilkenny |
3 |
3 |
4 |
10 |
10 |
|
Laois |
0 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
|
Limerick |
30 |
23 |
22 |
40 |
49 |
|
Offaly |
3 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
4 |
|
Waterford |
26 |
14 |
11 |
31 |
17 |
|
133 |
95 |
99 |
200 |
198 |
753. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if Skills Ireland is charged with responsibility and oversight for the hospitality and tourism skills development policy; the measures she will implement to address the skills shortage for the hospitality and tourism sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4425/17]
View answerFáilte Ireland was established under the National Tourism Development Act 2003. One of its stated primary functions as specified in legislation is: “To encourage, promote and support the recruitment, training and education and development of persons for the purposes of employment within the Tourism Industry”. Fáilte Ireland is an agency under the aegis of the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport.
The Department of Education and Skills is the department of the Irish state with responsibility for education and training. This includes further education and training provision in Education and Training Boards as well as within several Institutes of Technology aimed at job opportunities in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
More generally, the hospitality industry itself also has a responsibility for the attraction, retention and development of its workforce including the provision of career progression opportunities.
The successful development of the sector, including the provision of a sufficient quantity and quality of skills, requires a collaborated approach by industry, education and training providers and other relevant stakeholders.
754. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will report on the details of meetings she has had with promoters of a facility (details supplied); if she will elaborate on the financial, legal and logistical issues that have been alluded to in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 282 of 25 January 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4515/17]
View answerThe promoters of this initiative have not contacted myself or my officials since my appointment as Minister in May 2016. My Department had previously raised a number of queries in connection with the project for which a response is awaited from the promoters.
On the general principles involved, I would emphasise that when my Department considers any proposals to support enterprise development the key considerations would include: that public funds are deployed as effectively and efficiently as possible; the coherence of new initiatives with the Government's wider approach to supporting enterprise and innovation; and ensuring robust oversight and governance structures are in place.
755. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff under the aegis of her Department in the clerical officer, staff officer or equivalent grade; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4939/17]
View answerThe current number of Clerical Officer, Staff Officer and equivalent grades serving in my Department is as set out in the following table.
|
Grade |
No. of Staff Serving in Department |
|
Clerical Officer* |
247 |
|
Staff Officer |
33 |
*(includes Visually Impaired Telephonist grade staff).
756. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of post-primary first year pupil suspensions by individual school in County Louth for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16 and for September to December 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3914/17]
View answer757. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of post-primary first year pupil expulsions by individual school in County Louth for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16 and for September to December 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3915/17]
View answer758. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of post-primary second year pupil suspensions by individual school in County Louth for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16 and for September to December 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3917/17]
View answer759. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of post-primary second year pupil expulsions by individual school in County Louth for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 and for September to December 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3918/17]
View answer760. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of post-primary first year pupil notices of intention to expel by individual school in County Louth for the current academic year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3920/17]
View answer761. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total post-primary first year pupil notices of intention to expel for the current academic year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3922/17]
View answer762. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of post-primary second year pupil notices of intention to expel by individual school in County Louth for the current academic year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3924/17]
View answer763. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total post-primary second year pupil notices of intention to expel for the current academic year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3926/17]
View answer764. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total number of post-primary notices of intention to expel in County Louth for the current academic year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3928/17]
View answer765. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total number of post-primary notices of intention to expel for the current academic year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3930/17]
View answer766. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total post-primary suspensions for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3932/17]
View answer767. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total post-primary expulsions for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3933/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 756 to 767, inclusive, together.
I am advised that data is returned by schools to Tusla by student name and date of birth but not by school year. Therefore Tusla has advised that it is not possible to respond to the questions relating to the school year a student is enrolled in.
I can confirm that the total number of post primary expulsions for the school year 2014/2015 was 132.
I can further confirm that the total number of post primary expulsions for the school year 2015/2016 was 156.
I can confirm that the total number of post primary suspensions for the school year 2014/2015 was 12,698.
I can further confirm that the total number of post primary suspensions for the school year 2015/2016 was 14,350.
I can confirm that the total number of post primary notices of intention to expel for the current academic year to date is 99.
I can confirm that the total number of post primary notices of intention to expel in County Louth for the current academic year to date is nine.
