Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he has identified the cause or causes of job relocation to other economies; the action he has taken to address these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15782/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs relocated to other economies in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15783/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he has identified the main factors affecting the competitiveness of the Irish economy; the action he has taken or proposes to take to address the issues arising therefrom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15785/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 137, 138 and 140 together.

There are many factors that influence a firm's decision to relocate. Firms adjust their plant location and utilisation strategies to address matters such as accessing new markets, moving production nearer to customers, meeting firm or market specific customer relationship issues, accessing technology or other competitive considerations. The result is flows of investment and employment across borders. Ireland successfully manages this process, while winning many prestigious and value added investment, and enterprise policies have enabled the economy to replace lost jobs with others of equal or higher value.

It is not possible to audit the extent to which job losses in the economy arise due to firms relocating abroad. Forfás, however, undertakes an annual survey of employment in companies supported by the enterprise development agencies. Last year, full time employment in agency assisted companies expanded by 5,927 to over 305,000. This reflects robust employment growth in the wider economy where the number of jobs is at an historic high of over 2 million.

The National Competitiveness Council benchmarks Ireland's competitiveness performance on an annual basis. We have also had the benefit of the advice and views of the Enterprise Strategy Group, the Small Business Forum, the Better Regulation Group and have policies in place to act on their recommendations. Together with our Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation and our National Skills Strategy, I am satisfied that we are taking the measures needed to meet the challenges of global competition.