Written Answers Nos. 85 - 96
85. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which her Department continues to monitor issues arising from Brexit which may have a positive or negative impact on foreign direct investment and consequent job creation here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22985/17]
View answer88. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her Department's role in encouraging businesses relocating from Britain to Ireland; if she will report on meetings she is having with the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government with regard to possible locations and infrastructure for organisations and businesses being liaised with, with a view to relocating here from the UK; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22957/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 88 together.
My Department and its Agencies continue to monitor and assess carefully the various issues in connection with Brexit that may impact on foreign direct investment and employment in Ireland. We also regularly engage directly with companies regarding concerns they have surrounding the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Our focus remains on taking steps to mitigate the potentially adverse consequences Brexit may have for our economy whilst also ensuring that Ireland is well-placed to capitalise on the opportunities that might emerge.
The IDA is working hard to convert the interest shown to date by potential investors into investments on the ground here in Ireland. This process involves engaging with companies, both at home and abroad, in connection with various issues associated with locating or expanding in Ireland.
Convincing companies to invest here is a delicate process that requires perseverance and patience. This is especially the case with regard to Brexit-related investment on account of the various political considerations at play. I am confident, however, that we will attract more FDI – and with it more jobs – to Ireland.
86. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to assist companies that are very heavily dependent on Northern Ireland and Britain as their export market in view of the particular difficulties arising due to Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23037/17]
View answerMy Department’s agencies are actively supporting companies to prepare for Brexit.
Enterprise Ireland (EI) is in in regular contact with some 600 clients who are most reliant on the UK market. A key focus is to support companies in sustaining and growing exports to the UK while also supporting diversification into new markets.
The EI #PrepareforBrexit communications campaign featuring the ‘Brexit SME Scorecard’ was launched in March. The Scorecard is an interactive online platform which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit.
EI has introduced a ‘Be Prepared Grant’ which offers up to €5,000 for exporting client companies to conduct further research and use external expertise to develop a Brexit Action Plan. On May 3rd, EI commenced a Brexit Regional Roadshow to raise further awareness of the potential impact of Brexit and encourage companies to start preparations now.
The Local Enterprise Offices Brexit-focus include a National Lean for Micro Initiative to improve competitiveness; mentoring and training initiatives; and awareness raising including workshops and cross-border business networking.
InterTrade Ireland is also undertaking initiatives for SMEs trading across the border including the provision of advice and supports for capability building.
87. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the working hour bands which will be contained in her Department's proposed legislation on precarious working practices and low hour contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22905/17]
View answerThe legislative proposals approved by Government are in response to the Programme for Government commitment to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work and to strengthen the regulation of precarious work.
Included in the proposals is a provision for the creation of a new employment right for an employee, whose contract of employment does not reflect the reality of hours worked over an extended period, to be placed on a band of hours that better reflects the actual hours worked. This will provide greater certainty regarding earnings thereby addressing difficulties employees may have in accessing financial credit including mortgages.
The proposed reference period of 18 months was chosen as it is considered sufficiently long to allow for the normal peaks and troughs of businesses including those subject to seasonal fluctuations.
The provision will not apply to an employer who has entered into a banded hour arrangement through an agreement by collective bargaining with their employees.
It is proposed that there will be four bands of hours which will be kept sufficiently wide to allow a degree of flexibility for both employers and employees. The bands are 1 hour to 10 hours; 11 hours to 24 hours; 25 hours to 34 hours and 35 hours or over.
I am referring the draft legislation to the Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation for the Committee to consider and determine if it wishes to engage in pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed Bill.
89. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the degree to which she continues to engage with the major employers throughout the country with a view to ensuring ongoing investment and job creation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22986/17]
View answerThe goal of this Government is to support the creation of an additional 200,000 jobs by 2020 with 135,000 jobs outside Dublin. This is a whole of Government effort and is delivered through our integrated Action Plan for Jobs.
Since the first Action Plan for Jobs was launched in early 2012, almost 206,000 more people are at work. Over 66,000 jobs were created during 2016. Employment growth is spread across all regions and all sectors of the economy.
In February, we published the Action Plan for Jobs 2017 which sets out the whole of Government response to secure employment and retain jobs in the face of global uncertainty by strengthening the resilience and agility of our enterprise base.
In developing the 2017 Plan, I met a wide range of stakeholders including a broad selection of Enterprise Ireland and IDA client companies and the employer representative bodies. I also expanded the Industry Partners Forum to include a wider sectoral and regional representation. These meetings with enterprise informed the priorities that I and my Ministerial colleagues are progressing under the 2017 Plan to support further job creation and deliver sustainable enterprise growth in the short to medium term.
In particular, the 2017 Plan sets out a range of actions to address the immediate and medium term challenges posed by Brexit and the volatility in the global trading and investment environment. These include measures to drive innovation, grow and scale Irish businesses, diversify our exports, promote entrepreneurship, deliver the skills needs of our growing economy, improve our competitiveness and ensure finance is available at competitive cost to support and underpin growth.
Accelerating the pace of progress in each region to maximise their job potential has been a top priority for the Action Plan for Jobs. In 2015, we launched the Regional Action Plans for Jobs initiative to help each region achieve its economic potential and increase employment. Each Regional Action Plan has an Implementation Committee that brings together enterprise, third level and other stakeholders from within each region, and senior officials from my Department and I have met with the Committees at various stages over the last year. I am also engaged in a range of stakeholder and industry consultations as part of my work on Brexit preparedness.
I am keen that the Department continues to engage in in-depth and frequent dialogue with our stakeholders on a range of policy areas which fall within our remit. With this in mind, I have established a Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Enterprise Forum on Brexit and global challenges. This will provide a vehicle for discussion of enterprise, trade and investment policy implications arising from wider global challenges, with a specific focus on Brexit in the first instance.
In addition to this more structured engagement with enterprise, I am talking to employers across the country every week about the issues of importance to them to grow their businesses and create jobs.
90. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on pay across the country in view of the recent lower than expected tax takes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23028/17]
View answerExchequer Income Tax receipts of €1,762 million collected in April were 1.0% or €19m below monthly target. This represents a 0.8% or €14m increase compared to April 2016.
The Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Finance have stated that they are examining the matter.
Of late, the bulk of this jobs growth has been in full time employment, representing a shift from the initial pick-up in part time employment seen at the beginning of the turn-around in the labour market. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2017 was 6.2%, down from 6.4% in March 2017 and down from 8.4% in April 2016.
The positive trends in the labour market do not lend themselves to a conclusion that lower income tax figures are linked to new jobs being lower paid or that earnings in a specific sector are falling.
I am informed by my colleague the Minister for Finance that we were in a similar position last year, when one-off payments of circa €100 million are excluded – income tax was down 1.5% or €94 million against profile at end April 2016. However, due to a pick-up in receipts over the remainder of the year, income tax finished 2016 ahead of target.
91. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the supports and grants given by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to client companies since 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23046/17]
View answerThe total value of grants paid by IDA Ireland to client companies since 2010 are outlined in the following table.
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2010 |
€120,440,184 |
|
2011 |
€96,757,220 |
|
2012 |
€89,326,201 |
|
2013 |
€87,951,297 |
|
2014 |
€87,487,265 |
|
2015 |
€97,737.583 |
Grants paid in a particular year are not necessarily linked to either the investments won or the jobs created in that year.
The grants given by Enterprise Ireland (EI) under five categories of support to client companies since 2010 are outlined in the following table.
Enterprise Ireland In Company Supports: Payments (in millions)
|
Year |
Capability |
Expansion |
Internationalisation |
RD&I |
Start Up |
|
2010 |
€12.34 |
€24.85 |
€5.78 |
€22.55 |
€17.66 |
|
2011 |
€18.44 |
€6.72 |
€6.45 |
€21.07 |
€21.96 |
|
2012 |
€22.26 |
€5.35 |
€4.61 |
€26.67 |
€26.68 |
|
2013 |
€22.83 |
€24.53 |
€3.97 |
€22.94 |
€26.47 |
|
2014 |
€15.75 |
€27.47 |
€4.34 |
€13.16 |
€27.45 |
|
2015 |
€5.56 |
€11.76 |
€3.16 |
€9.18 |
€25.44 |
|
2016 |
€1.98 |
€2.96 |
€0.50 |
€3.14 |
€19.83 |
Note: These figures include company payments and do not include schemes administered by EI on behalf of others i.e. Beef Fund, ESS, Community Enterprise Centre Scheme and Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme.
92. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to minimise the impact of Brexit in County Donegal; the engagement she has had with Enterprise Ireland to ensure it secures new investment in County Donegal in view of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22854/17]
View answerI am deeply engaged with all my Department’s agencies to ensure sufficient supports are in place to safeguard Irish jobs and exports in response to both the short term and long term impact of Brexit. Enterprise Ireland (EI), the Local Enterprise Offices, InterTrade Ireland and IDA Ireland have clear plans in place to mitigate challenges and maximise opportunities arising.
In Budget 2017, I secured additional monies, both current and capital, for additional staff in the Agencies, an increased number of trade missions to drive exports, and intensified supports to help enterprise prepare for the immediate future.
While the UK will continue to be one of our largest export markets, there is now a strategic imperative for Irish companies to seek new opportunities. Yesterday, the Taoiseach and I launched EI’s Eurozone Strategy, which sets out our strategic ambition to diversify into European markets.
In March, Enterprise Ireland’s #PrepareforBrexit communications campaign was launched featuring the ‘Brexit SME Scorecard’. This is a new interactive online platform which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit under six business pillars.
To further support the regions, I am currently finalising plans for a Competitive Regional Funding Initiative of up to €60m to support collaborative approaches to grow and sustain indigenous enterprise and jobs across the economy.
93. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the progress on the programme for government commitment, p. 42, to step up the use of impact assessments across Government driven by a new specialised section within the Cabinet secretariat; and if this new specialised section within the Cabinet secretariat has been established. [22843/17]
View answerThe Programme for a Partnership Government, published last May, set out an ambitious programme of work with hundreds of actions to be implemented across all Departments over the lifetime of the Government. The first Annual Report on the Programme, setting out progress made on over 300 commitments over the past 12 months, was published last week.
Progress on the commitment mentioned by the Deputy is expected in the coming period.
It is of course already the case that the Cabinet Handbook requires that all proposals coming before Government must indicate the impacts across a number of socio-economic headings including the impact on rural communities. Impact assessment is also a core element of the current system of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), which is a requirement for all Departments submitting policy proposals to Government involving legislative changes. RIAs are published on the relevant Department's website.
Any future work in this area should also link with the work of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, formed in 2012 by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In addition to its work to support better policy formulation and implementation through economic analysis and evaluation, the IGEES is aiming to put in place a framework of social impact assessment to incorporate the impacts of public expenditure policy on household outcomes.
94. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the detail for each NUTS 2 region that is within 1% of the national unemployment rate and not within 1% of the national unemployment rate, in tabular form. [22842/17]
View answerThe Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is the official source of estimates of unemployment (International Labor Organization - ILO) in the State. The latest unemployment data available for Ireland are for Q4 2016.
The following table shows the unemployment rates for NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions and the difference in percentage points from the national unemployment rate.
Table 1: Unemployment Rates (ILO) (%) (Persons aged 15-74) classified by State, NUTS2 and NUTS3 region, Q4 2016
|
Unemployment Rate (%) |
Percentage points difference from national rate |
|
|
State |
6.7 |
0.0 |
|
Border, Midland and Western |
8.0 |
1.3 |
|
Border |
8.0 |
1.3 |
|
Midland |
7.9 |
1.2 |
|
West |
7.9 |
1.2 |
|
Southern and Eastern |
6.3 |
-0.4 |
|
Dublin |
6.0 |
-0.7 |
|
Mid-East |
5.3 |
-1.4 |
|
Mid-West |
6.0 |
-0.7 |
|
South-East |
9.4 |
2.7 |
|
South-West |
5.7 |
-1.0 |
Source: Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.
Data may be subject to future revision.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values or estimates of change.
Reference period: Q4=Oct-Dec.
95. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a timeframe and expected date for publication of adaptive sectoral response plans for Brexit; and the position regarding the progress of these plans. [23321/17]
View answerOn 2nd May, the Government published a comprehensive document on Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.
Following on from this publication, work will begin shortly to prepare a further paper on economic implications of the Brexit challenge. This will draw on the work to date across Departments, and will incorporate adaptive Sectoral Brexit Response Plans, which will be developed by all Government departments to mitigate emerging sectoral challenges. These plans will build on ongoing cross-Government research, analysis and consultations with stakeholders, and will reflect the core economic themes of the Taoiseach's speech to the IIEA on 15 February last including:
- sustainable fiscal policies to ensure capacity to absorb and respond to economic shocks, not least from Brexit;
- policies to make Irish enterprise more diverse and resilient, to diversify trade and investment patterns, and to strengthen competitiveness;
- prioritising policy measures and dedicating resources to protect jobs and businesses in the sectors and regions most affected by Brexit;
- realising economic opportunities arising from Brexit, and helping businesses adjust to any new logistical or trade barriers arising;
- making a strong case at EU level that Ireland will require support that recognises where Brexit represents a serious disturbance to the Irish economy.
96. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22725/17]
View answerHaving regard to the rules of the House in relation to questions asked on a details supplied basis, my Department made contact with the Deputy and I understand that I have his agreement to disclose the subject matter in my reply to the extent necessary to ensure that my answer is useful and informative. The details supplied relate to ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Ireland signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007 and since then, successive Governments have emphasised Ireland’s strong commitment to proceed to ratification as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to ensure all necessary legislative and administrative requirements under the Convention are met. This Government remains committed to ratification of the Convention.
It is essential that the State is in a position to meet the obligations that it assumes under the terms of an international agreement from the moment of its entry into force for Ireland. Before the State can ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, enactment of new legislation and amendment of existing legislation is required to ensure obligations will be met upon entry into force for Ireland. Ratification of a Convention before we have amended domestic legislation that contradicts it makes no sense and does nothing to ensure compliance or to protect the people for whose benefit the Convention exists. The previous Government published a Roadmap in October 2015, which sets out the legislative measures needed to meet those requirements, along with declarations and reservations to be entered by Ireland on ratification.
Considerable progress has already been made to overcome the remaining legislative barriers to Ireland's ratification of the Convention. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 was signed into law on 30 December 2015 and is a comprehensive reform of the law on decision-making capacity. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 has reformed Section 5 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 to facilitate the full participation in family life of persons with intellectual disabilities and the full expression of their human rights.
The Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 was published immediately prior to Christmas and completed Second Stage in February 2017. The primary purpose of the Bill is to address the remaining legislative barriers to Ireland’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Work is ongoing on all the other issues set out in the previous Government’s Roadmap for Ratification published in October 2015 and these will be progressed as Committee Stage amendments. The Bill will be progressed to enactment at an early date to facilitate ratification of the UN Convention as soon as possible.
The precise timing of ratification now depends on how long it will take for this Bill to progress through the enactment process and on issues in relation to commencement both of deprivation of liberty provisions, which will be included in the Bill at Committee Stage, and of the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015.
The major issue at this stage is in relation to deprivation of liberty – in the case of persons in nursing homes for example, whose capacity to consent may be in doubt. This is a sensitive and important issue and we must get it right. Unfortunately, it is taking longer than expected to develop a proposal that is constitutionally sound and operationally effective and reasonable. The Department of Justice and Equality continues to engage with the Department of Health to assist with that work, but there is still some work to be done.
While Ireland’s not having ratified the CRPD is a recurring point of criticism by the UN as well as by domestic civil society and NGOs, it should be noted that in terms of quality of service and the actual position of people with disabilities in society, Ireland is in many respects in advance of other EU states. This is not to be complacent and we are continuing to take practical measures to improve the lives of people with disabilities. The Report of the Make Work Pay Group was published in recent weeks and already action, as announced by Minister Harris has been taken on its recommendations. We have a Comprehensive Employment Strategy in place and 2017 will see positive action measures being taken to support public sector recruitment of people with disabilities. And very shortly, Government will consider the draft of the new Disability Inclusion Strategy, which I expect to see published in the coming weeks. It will contain a wide range of practical commitments to improve the position of people with disabilities.
I would like to take this opportunity to assure the Deputy that ratification of the UNCRPD remains a very high priority for me as Minister.
