Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 60: To ask the Minister for Enterprise; Trade and Innovation if he has set new goals for his Department in the strategy statement due to be completed in September 2010; the reason he has not published the strategy statement to help inform the Oireachtas on choices that have to be made in budgetary planning in 2011 and subsequent years [2607/11]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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In fulfilment of the provisions of the Public Service Management Act 1997, my Department prepared and submitted to me a draft Statement of Strategy 2011-2013 for my consideration. The Department subsequently arranged for this draft to be forwarded to the Department of An Taoiseach for consultation in accordance with the revised guidelines for the preparation of strategy statements issued by the Department of An Taoiseach in July last year.

The Public Service Management Act provides that the strategy statement be laid before each House of the Oireachtas not later than 60 days after it has been approved. However, since the announcement late last year of the intention to hold a general election in the coming months, it was decided that the current draft statements of strategy will not be finalised and published in advance of the election. Nevertheless, business units in my Department are using the draft statement as the basis for the preparation of their business plans for the coming year, taking account of adjustments to reflect the outcome of budget 2011 and of actions necessary to meet our commitments under the EU-IMF and the national recovery plans.

In preparing the draft new statement of strategy, my Department gave considerable time to determining appropriate goals, objectives and strategic actions for the Department for the three years ahead. The range of actions identified in the draft covers all aspects of the work of my Department, aimed at, among other things, growing employment and foreign earnings through enterprise and trade, and through building the smart economy; better regulation of markets and enhanced consumer welfare; and fostering good industrial relations, employment rights and health and safety awareness and compliance.

I should add that when the Select Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Innovation considers my Department's Estimate for 2011, I will present and publish our annual output statement, which will set out our goals and objectives for 2011.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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While Nero fiddles Rome burns. There will be no strategy until the Fianna Fáil election manifesto is produced. It is now 2011. The most recent strategy finished at the end of 2010 and the Minister gave a commitment at the end of December last that the new strategy would be brought before the House within 60 days. Is he now saying no Department strategy will be produced but that it will become part of the Fianna Fáil election manifesto? The Minister might also enlighten us as to when the general election will take place.

While the Government document, Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy set a target of 300,000 jobs, all the agencies under the aegis of the Minister's Department employ fewer than 300,000 people. Does the Minister not agree that since 2000, not one additional job has been created by the enterprise agencies under his direction?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Last year, which was a very tough year, the IDA created more than 10,000 jobs. The net increase was approximately 1,750 because there were significant job losses permeating from 2009. Job losses in Dell in Limerick spilled over from 2009 into 2010. Nevertheless, there was a net increase of 1,750. The IDA has indicated clearly to my Department that it does not believe job losses will be as severe this year. Information available from the employment agencies suggests that there is significant stabilisation and growth in job advertisements this year.

I would like to correct a statement made by Deputy Bruton the last time I answered questions in the House, when he claimed that only 40% of targets contained in last year's statement were met. Of the 68 individual targets for achievement in 2009, we met or exceeded 47. We missed out on 21 targets, which represents a success rate of 70%, rather than the 40% claimed by Deputy Bruton. It is also important to point out that the targets that were exceeded or met were all in the enterprise sector.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister treats the House with contempt. He has a strategy but he will not tell us what it is. We are told the Government respects the Dáil as a place where Ministers are accountable. The Minister is saying he is paddling his canoe up the stream with, according to himself, a map and guide as to where he is going but he will not tell either the public or Members of the House where he is heading or how he is going to get there. This is the depth of contempt to which the Government has led the Dáil. We are entitled to know the strategy being pursued and to hold the Minister accountable for it.

The Minister is pretending he is delivering on his strategy. What has happened to the strategy to cut red tape by 25%? According to his own figures, he has delivered just €20 million of that, or less than 4%.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Wrong again.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Where is his strategy to implement the 21 priority recommendations of the Competition Authority? He has not delivered on any of them.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Wrong again.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is obliged to tell us what he is doing and to answer questions on a published record. He is going to pretend he has delivered in these areas, which are directly his responsibility, when the truth is he has failed miserably. This has nothing to do with the agencies. They are the Minister's responsibility.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Bruton looks like a teacher with a finger wagging. I am too old for that.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister has not learned much.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The last time I answered questions in the House, Deputy Bruton made a misleading statement of what had been achieved. I felt an onus to correct the record.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Let me correct the record. I said 40% had not been delivered. The Minister said 30% had not been delivered. I may have been a little bit out but I was not far out. The Minister certainly did not deliver what he was supposed to deliver.

All the enterprise sector targets were covered. The only thing missed out in the strategy statement-----

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Was the Minister's own responsibilities.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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-----was the extraordinary demand in relation to legislation and a number of demands in terms of services.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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What about red tape? What about the Competition Authority? What about any of those things that are key to the Minister's strategy?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has taken a decision that it would not be prudent to publish a strategy statement at present because of the announcement at the end of last year regarding the calling of an election. What is available, and what we are working on, is the renewed programme for Government, the smart economy framework, the strategy for science and technology innovation-----

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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We know the Minister commissions reports by the lorry load, but he does not do anything about them.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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We would want a wheelbarrow to wheel them around.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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-----the ongoing work of the National Competitiveness Council, the innovation task force and Towards 2016.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Can the Minister show us his record of delivery?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Since I came to office we have taken €53 million out of the cost of bureaucracy in business and we are continuing to drive down cost in business. We have become much more competitive as a result of what we are doing.