Martin to prioritise competitiveness issues

Taxation returns and health and safety requirements are among a number of priority areas the Government is targeting to improve competitiveness by reducing regulatory burdens, according to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin.

The Government had to seek a balance between "regulation necessary to protect consumers and employees and the light hand required to let those who create employment get on with business". The overall level of regulation in Ireland is "relatively low according to international benchmarks", but it was an area "where we can draw new sources of competitiveness if we continue to get the balance right".

Mr Martin told the Dáil "the immediate priority areas are taxation returns, health and safety requirements, statistical requirements, environmental legislation and employment and company law. A group is already working on specific proposals and is addressing these areas."

He was speaking during a Fine Gael Private Members' motion in which he rejected Opposition allegations that Ireland's economic competitiveness had "tumbled".

Fine Gael spokesman Leo Varadkar said the boom between 2003 and 2007 was "a debt-fuelled construction boom based on cheap credit, foolish tax breaks for developers, mass immigration and unsustainable increases in public spending. Growth in the economy shifted from being driven by productivity increases and exports to being driven by domestic demand. The vast bulk of new jobs created in this period were in the construction and public sectors".

He said competitiveness had tumbled because the Government botched the privatisation of Eircom "which has relegated us to third from last in the OECD's broadband league table, ahead of only Turkey and Mexico".