Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

That is very exciting stuff from the Taoiseach. I have three brief questions. The Government is committed to a 25% reduction in red tape, which is a very large cost for business. An employer with eight employees recently told me that one of his staff must spend half a day each week filling Government forms. Is it planned to carry out a baseline assessment of the cost of red tape for Irish business that would apply across the board so people would know what the target is on a comparative level?

Second, an independent benchmarking report has been commissioned to address the need for stronger international data and benchmarks to assess the comparative efficiency and effectiveness of key Irish economic regulators. When is that expected to be published? Third, the report on regulatory impact analysis by an independent review was published recently. Some of the stakeholders involved in this were disappointed at the apparent lack of consultation about it. In any event, given the time put into it and its considerable cost of €108,000, when does the Taoiseach expect the review's recommendations to be implemented? Is there a programme through which that will take place and is there a target date for implementation of the recommendations?

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