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Economic Competitiveness

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 May 2018

Thursday, 24 May 2018

Ceisteanna (31)

John Lahart

Ceist:

31. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the steps being taken to reverse competitiveness deficiencies and to make Dublin an attractive location for businesses to locate in; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22883/18]

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Freagraí scríofa

Despite intense competition, Ireland’s competitiveness performance remains positive. Ireland moved from 16th in 2015 to 6th in 2017 in the Institute for Management Development’s World Competitiveness Yearbook. In addition, the World Bank’s most recent “Doing Business 2018” report shows Ireland is now ranked 17th out of 190 countries, an improvement of one place on last year.

However, there is no room for complacency. Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2017 Report, published by the National Competitiveness Council in December last year, outlines the main challenges to Ireland’s competitiveness and the policy responses required to meet them. Although national in scope, many of the recommendations apply to Dublin. My officials and I remain focused on competitiveness - an agenda that requires continued cross Government commitment and a focus on the implementation of actions to enhance it.

As Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, my objective is to create the best possible environment for enterprise, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment across all regions, including Dublin. The immediate challenge for Ireland is to ensure growth is sustainable, that enterprises are resilient and we continue to grow Irish enterprises and attract foreign direct investment. We are continually examining how we can improve on factors that are crucial to fostering further investment here, including our cost base, infrastructure, the availability of talent and innovation.

Enterprise 2025 Renewed - which I launched recently - placed an increased emphasis on developing our Irish-owned enterprises. There is a strong focus on taking action that will embed resilience in our enterprise base. We are placing a spotlight on innovation and on skills. Enterprise Ireland places a strong emphasis on competitiveness. It supports exporting enterprises with initiatives in Lean, Research, Development and Innovation, and management development. The Agency helps enterprises to take a strategic approach to understanding and responding to potential implications arising from Brexit and assists them to enter into new markets and diversify their export base. The Local Enterprise Offices offer a suite of supports to enhance the competitiveness of small and micro enterprises.

Quality and affordability of life is particularly important in ensuring Ireland is an attractive location for talent and investment. Ireland, and particularly Dublin, relative to many EU cities, is an expensive place to live in terms of residential property costs. The Government is acutely aware that ultimately, additional housing supply is required to address house price and rent pressures. The 'Rebuilding Ireland’ Plan presents a wide-ranging set of commitments to address housing supply, and while many of these will take time, the Government is implementing and driving change. In 2017, over 17,500 new homes commenced construction.

Recognising that Dublin’s continued performance is critical to Ireland’s overall competitiveness, some of the key measures outlined in the National Planning Framework, such as delivering the key rail projects set out in the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area, improving access to Dublin Airport and facilitating the growth of Dublin Port, are also focused on supporting the future growth and success of Dublin as Ireland’s leading global city of scale.

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