Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the role he expects to play to promote economic recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45739/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, I will continue working with my Government colleagues to promote and achieve economic recovery. The National Recovery Plan, which was published on 24 November, provides a blueprint for a return to sustainable economic growth and sets out the path the Government intends to follow to achieve this objective.

The Plan outlines the measures that will be taken to restore order to the public finances and specifies the actions that will be taken to improve competitiveness and accelerate growth in key sectors of the economy.

Some of the elements of the Plan that I intend to focus on, in particular, include:

· Reducing costs for business, particularly in relation to labour costs and professional services.

· Reducing the regulatory burden on business.

· Investing in high potential start-up companies and helping firms to increase their exports to new and existing markets through supports from Enterprise Ireland.

· Supporting firms through Enterprise Ireland's Seed and Venture programme and through the €500 million Innovation Fund. The Business Expansion Fund for investment in companies will also be overhauled and improved.

· Investing in research and development and ensuring a focus on the commercialisation of research outputs to ensure a solid return on investment.

· Continuing to attract foreign direct investment through the work of IDA Ireland.

· Providing supports for SMEs, through Enterprise Ireland and the County and City Enterprise Boards.

The National Recovery Plan also sets out sector-specific measures which will contribute to economic growth, and builds on a number of existing strategies which will support employment. These include the Strategy for Trade, Tourism and Investment, which is being overseen by my Department and envisages the creation of up to 300,000 direct and indirect jobs over the period to 2015.

The various actions set out in the National Recovery Plan will have a positive impact on economic recovery and contribute to the creation of high-quality sustainable jobs.