Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy must not read the newspapers. We launched the one step up initiative last week and I allocated the additional funds in last year's Estimates for this year to implement the enterprise strategy group's recommendations immediately. The one step up initiative aims to upskill the workforce. I am totally committed to this plan and have already taken action on it.

The changes in Enterprise Ireland are fundamental to the enterprise strategy group because it concentrates significantly on indigenous enterprise. This is not a casual implementation — the Deputy misinterpreted me if he so understood my tone. That is not my position.

The changes at Enterprise Ireland aim to create an export led, technology, innovation based approach. Enterprise Ireland has created the divisions the Deputy mentioned. It has radically reformed its overseas division in terms of giving assistance to companies that wish to create a greater presence overseas. It has also announced a new productivity fund. Scaling up medium-sized Irish companies to become significant international players is a key item on Enterprise Ireland's agenda, as is the development of high potential start-up companies. Enterprise Ireland will be the engine for the development of indigenous enterprise over the coming years.

The model that achieved our economic transformation will not take us through the next decade. The enterprise strategy group's recommendations give us a blueprint for future development and we are committed to implementing it.

In regard to overseas marketing, we have, at my initiative, reviewed the existing FÁS graduate placement programme. Enterprise Ireland and FÁS have come together to develop a better resourced overseas graduate programme. This has been a very effective tool yielding significant intelligence on the ground, particularly in Asia. We will continue the programme in line with the need for greater marketing talent to be generated and developed.

This Government more than any other has achieved significant progress in research and development through the programme for research in third level institutions and Science Foundation Ireland. We are committed to building on and increasing that. I am chairing a Cabinet sub-committee preparing a strategic implementation plan on research to take us through to 2013, with very significant results.

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