Written Answers Nos. 276 - 284
276. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent by her Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23453/17]
View answerAccommodation, including attendant car parking, for my Department, which is spread over a number of locations in Dublin as well as regionally, is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by the OPW on our behalf. All leasehold arrangements and payments are, accordingly, arranged and paid by the OPW and not by my Department.
277. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent by bodies and agencies under the aegis of her Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years from 2011 to 2016, inclusive, and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23469/17]
View answerExpenditure on car parking spaces by state agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for the agencies concerned and not one in which I have any function.
I have asked the agencies to provide me with details of any such expenditure and I will forward this to the Deputy once received.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
In my reply, I undertook to request the agencies under the remit of my Department to supply the requested information. This is now set out in the tables.
2011
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
Nil |
|
*NSAI |
€163,347 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€320,955 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€31,075 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
€18,392 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€10,400 |
2012
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
Nil |
|
*NSAI |
€163,347 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€286,360 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€31,075 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
€18,696 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€10,400 |
2013
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
Nil |
|
*NSAI |
€163,347 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€286,360 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€31,075 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
€18,696 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€10,400 |
2014
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
Nil |
|
*NSAI |
€163,347 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€286,360 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€35,125 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
€18,696 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€10,400 |
-
2015
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
Nil |
|
*NSAI |
€163,347 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€286,360 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€29,517 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
€18,696 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€10,400 |
2016
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
€2,030 |
|
*NSAI |
€163,347 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€324,845 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€31,114 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
€18,696 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€10,400 |
2017
|
Agency |
Amount spent on renting car park spaces |
|
Microfinance Ireland |
€3,200 up to 30/4/2017 |
|
*NSAI |
€81,673 up to 16/05/17 |
|
**Enterprise Ireland |
€121,110 up to 30/04/17 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Nil |
|
IDA Ireland |
Nil |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€16,690 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
Nil to date |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
Nil to date |
|
***Competition and Consumer Protection Commission |
€11,838 |
*Car parking includes spaces for visitors to NSAI attending meetings, events, seminars, etc.
**Car parking includes spaces for visitors to Enterprise Ireland attending meetings, events, seminars, etc.
***the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) moved to new premises on 31 March 2017 and has paid for car park spaces for Quarter 2 of 2017. It did not incur charges for car park spaces prior to this since its establishment on 31 October 2014. The CCPC was formed by the merger of the Competition Authority which did not incur costs for car park spaces and the National Consumer Agency where the cost of car park spaces were included in the rent it paid.
278. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of visits to County Kerry by prospective Industrial Development Agency Ireland companies in 2016; the details of these visits; her views on this level of visitation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23569/17]
View answerI am informed by IDA Ireland that there were three Agency sponsored site visits to Kerry in 2016. For reasons of client confidentiality, the Agency cannot make details of specific visits publicly available.
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.
Although I am satisfied with the IDA's record results over the last number of years, both the Agency and I continue to work hard to increase the level of FDI in Ireland, especially in areas outside Dublin. Regional development remains a top priority and we are focused on continuing the good progress made in growing employment outside of our main urban areas. Last year, for example, over half of all jobs created by IDA Ireland's clients were based outside of Dublin. This includes 186 new jobs created in Kerry in 2016.
279. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons that are employed under the aegis of her Department through agencies in the public sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23933/17]
View answer280. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the persons employed through agencies in her Department, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23946/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 279 and 280 together.
There are currently no persons employed through agencies in my Department and its Offices.
281. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the monetary value of all work contracted out under the aegis of her Department to external agencies or consultancies for work completed or investigations undertaken in human resources and industrial relations, including hiring and interviewing of staff and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23958/17]
View answerSince taking Office, my Department as an employer has undertaken one investigation in the area of human resources and industrial relations. In this regard, the HR Unit of my Department is currently in the process of engaging an external agency to undertake an investigation under the Dignity at Work policy. As we are at an early stage in the contracting process the cost involved is not yet known.
In addition, as the Public Appointments Service provides my Department with its externally sourced/recruited staff and my Department manages its own internal recruitment processes itself without recourse to external agencies or consultancy, no monetary costs arise, per se.
282. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount spent by her Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years from 2011 to 2016, inclusive, and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [23445/17]
View answerMy Department has not incurred any direct expenditure for the rental of car parking spaces since its establishment in June 2011. The lease for my Department's building and car park is held by the Office of Public Works.
283. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount spent by bodies and agencies under the aegis of her Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years from 2011 to 2016, inclusive, and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23461/17]
View answerTusla, the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Oberstown Children Detention Campus and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children are under the aegis of my Department.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Oberstown Children Detention Campus have confirmed that they have not incurred any expenditure for renting car parking spaces during the specified time period.
With regard to Tusla, the information sought by the Deputy is held regionally and is currently being compiled. I have asked Tusla to communicate directly with the Deputy when a full response is available.
I have requested the Ombudsman for Children's Office to respond to you directly on this issue as it is an independent statutory body established under the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 and is directly accountable to the Oireachtas in relation to the exercising of its functions.
284. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the closure of a child care facility (details supplied); if she will engage with the Dublin City Childcare Committee to ensure that places are sourced for the children in question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23574/17]
View answerI am aware of the closure of The Nest in Drumcondra. Officials from my Department have made contact with the Dublin City Childcare Committee (DCCC) and are currently liaising with the DCCC in sourcing alternative provisions. The owner of this crèche confirmed that the service will remain open in its current manner until the end of June, and that they will be able to fulfil their ECCE contract. They are also making arrangements to provide care for all children that need it until the end of August.
While I find it unfortunate that The Nest has taken the decision to close this decision is a matter for the owner of the creche and as such the Department cannot intervene.
