Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The number of redundancies notified to my Department in the years specified were 13,316 in 2000, 19,977 in 2001, 25,358 in 2002, 27,702 in 2003 and 20,127 to the end of October, 2004. The corresponding figure to the end of October 2003, was 22,509 which means an 10.6% decrease in the number of redundancies notified to my Department so far this year. It is not possible to project what the total number of redundancies will be for the year. However, if a similar decrease was to be maintained for the remainder of the year, the total number of redundancies in 2004 would be approximately 25,000 which would be over 2,700 down on last year.

The most recent quarterly national household survey prepared by the Central Statistics Office in September shows that employment growth continued in the second quarter of 2004 with an increase of 42,800 or 2.4 % in the year on year position. The total number of persons currently in employment is 1.84 million. In addition, the Central Bank is forecasting growth of 4.5% in gross national product for 2004 which also indicates a positive outlook for the economy in general.

The development of a competitive economy is a central tenet of generating sustainable employment and growth and is the focus of this Government's policies. Initiatives by the Government and the State development agencies, including reducing the burden of unnecessary regulation, are aimed at helping the country progress towards a knowledge and innovation-driven economy. Ongoing six monthly assessments of our competitive position will ensure that appropriate and timely actions are taken to address identified weaknesses.

The recent report of the enterprise strategy group recognises that we are at a turning point in terms of the competitive impact of global competition for markets and investments. The enterprise strategy group made a number of key recommendations that are being considered by a high level group set up by my predecessor to look at the most appropriate route to implementing the enterprise strategy group's recommendations. I expect to receive the group's final report shortly, following which I will be taking up the matter with my colleagues in Government.