Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I acknowledge that the Minister and the Taoiseach are doing everything possible to advance new market opportunities for indigenous companies as well as for our foreign direct investment in the country, and that should continue. Whether one accepts the increase in value of 5% or in volume of 1.8%, as appears in the ESRI report, which I would expect the Minister to accept, the Irish Exporters Association has been signalling for some time the worries it has over our competitiveness and how we can best get our products quickly and cheaply to the European mainland. We touched on these matters recently when discussing energy.

Has the Government taken a comprehensive overview of the ESRI report? Will it take new initiatives to ensure businesses have the best possible opportunities to export the maximum volume of goods, particularly in the food sector where current efforts are concentrated? Companies such as Dairygold and Glanbia have concerns about the need to get Irish products to the market more easily and quickly to counter their current dependence on foreign facilities in the United States or United Kingdom.

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