John Bruton
Question:3 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will elaborate on the points he made in his foreword to the Annual Competitiveness Report published recently by the National Competitiveness Council. [8014/98]
Ceisteanna—Questions. - National Competitiveness Council.
John Bruton
Question:4 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the plans, if any, he has to change the terms of reference of the National Competitiveness Council which require it to report to him on key competitiveness issues. [8015/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together.
As the Deputy is aware, the council published its first annual report and a summary statement on competitiveness earlier this month. This report and future annual reports, with occasional submissions made to me by the council, will be considered in a co-ordinated manner across Departments with a view to developing proposals for consideration by Government.
At this time, I do not propose to make changes to the terms of reference of the National Competitiveness Council which are to prepare and submit to me a report on the main challenges facing the enterprise sector over the medium term and the policy responses required to meet them; to examine and monitor policies and actions that impact on the competitiveness of the enterprise sector and prepare reports on priority competitiveness issues, as appropriate, with recommendations required to improve competitiveness.
The council was established pursuant to Partnership 2000. Its brief relates to the core concern of Partnership 2000 and the social partners generally to maintain and deepen our competitiveness. It has strategic implications in the short and long-terms for a wide range of public policies and I regard that submitting its reports to me represents the most suitable means of ensuring that the actions of Government collectively advance our competitive objectives.
However, responsibility for action on foot of the council's recommendations rests with the appropriate Ministers, who have functional responsibility. Many of the areas concerned are the responsibility of the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, under whose aegis, FORFÁS, which provides the secretariat to the council, operates. I have no plans to change this arrangement.
Does the Government intend to act on the recommendations contained in the report?
Yes. This is an excellent report. I have had a number of discussions with members of the group on the draft report. This was out of courtesy rather than to change the report in any way. The group wishes to discuss the report with me again now that it has been presented. The council has highlighted the following priority areas on which it wishes the Government to take action: skills, education, tailored policies, EMU, costs, taxation, trade diversification, labour market, innovation, telecommunications, the information society and public administration. The Government should focus on all these areas.
In view of the fact that the Taoiseach said that the Government intends to act on the recommendations, will he agree that the report was particularly scathing about the level of telephone charges? It made the case that Ireland could not be a leader in the information society if its local telephone charges, which determine the cost of internet access, remain as high as they are. Does the Government intend to implement the council's specific recommendation that the derogation from full competition in voice telephony which exists up to the beginning of the year 2000 would not continue and would be done away with immediately?
The report contains hundreds of recommendations. I assure the Deputy and the House that these issues will be addressed. The Minister has already met the board of Telecom Éireann regarding the comments in the report on telecommunications. There are questions in the House this week on some of the issues to which the Deputy referred. There is concern in the business community, not only about the cost of telecommunications as highlighted in the report, but on many other areas also. It is an excellent report and we should follow the issues raised in it. I have discussed it with the Cabinet and asked officials of the Department at senior level to examine its implications. I hope we will be in a position to act on many of its recommendations, not just one.
Will the Taoiseach agree that one of the few genuinely unqualified recommendations in the report was that the Telecom monopoly on voice telephony should be done away with immediately, not next year? Will he agree that most of the other recommendations were qualified in some way but that this was a specific, hard recommendation? Will the Government accept it?
I agree it is a clear recommendation. It will not have escaped the Deputy's notice that last week the Minister for Public Enterprise took a significant step forward in the area of telecommunications on a difficult issue. The changes that will be made will be very much in line with what is recommended in the report.
I do not understand what that means.
The Deputy does.
I am not intended to. It is waffle, to use a time-honoured phrase.
It has become part of the record of the House.
Folklore.
We will deal with the issue. I thank the members of the board who were appointed by Deputy Bruton. They have done and continue to do much work.