Vol. 481 No. 2
68 Mr. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the new measures, if any, she will initiate to promote the competitiveness of Irish business with large British exports during the final run-in period to EMU. [15947/97]
A number of measures have already been put in place to promote the awareness, preparation and competitiveness of Irish business during the run-in period to EMU. These include a special EMU business awareness campaign lead by Forfás; a guide specifically designed for exporters has been published by An Bord Tráchtála earlier this year; and ABT's export development programme in Europe has also been stepped up this year with expenditure of £10 million supporting exporters in continental markets.
The competitiveness of Irish business is of course a critical issue regardless of EMU. I have recently asked the National Competitiveness Council to establish how we can realise our fullest potential across a range of critical areas such as human resources, communications, trade, innovation, etc., and to identify what are the best processes to obtain maximum competitive advantage.
