Vol. 521 No. 1
114 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has satisfied herself that costs to industry in this country are sufficiently competitive to facilitate continued confidence and investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16741/00]
As the recent Competitive Challenge and Annual Competitiveness Report 2000 publications of the National Competitiveness Council indicate, we have continued to improve our competitiveness. Both these documents have been laid in the Oireachtas Library. This improvement is reflected in the fact that Ireland now ranks seventh in this year's World Competitiveness Report compiled by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne; this is a remarkable achievement by any score. IMD credits us with being the fastest growing of the 47 world economies surveyed this year.
Our success is attributed to our attractiveness based on a well-designed incentive policy for high technology manufacturing, services and financial activities and our long-term investment in education, training and up-skilling programmes.
In our case, it also underlines once more the imperative of securing a stable, predictable and moderate agreement between the social partners, as represented most recently by the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. That programme recognises the need to strengthen our main enterprise sectors, especially small business and the services sectors; promote indigenous industry, especially food, marine and forestry; address labour and skills shortages in both the short and long-term; accelerate the pick-up of e-commerce and use of IT throughout our economy and Government and to take up the challenge posed by the exploration and exploitation of R&D in science and technology necessary to stay ahead.
I am satisfied, therefore, that with the PPF now agreed, our cost competitiveness for both manufacturing industry and services will continue to generate both confidence and investment in our economy.
