Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin has finally admitted that Ireland is playing catch-up on broadband access after Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD challenged him in the Dáil on the country’s low take-up of high-speed internet.

Speaking during the Enterprise Minister’s Dáil question time, Deputy Varadkar warned that Ireland has fallen so far behind other countries in terms of broadband that it is costing us new jobs and investment.

…[more]

Receiving the Annual Competitiveness Report from the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) each November must feel like Groundhog Day for Micheál Martin because the Government has done so little to address its recommendations, according to Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD.

“The NCC has challenged the Government to get serious about competitiveness by committing to bringing inflation down to 2% in order to stop the competitiveness rot. We need a clear response from the Government in next week’s Budget. If the Government dodges this recommendation and avoids making any commitment to control inflation, the NCC might as well turn its attention elsewhere. Since he became Enterprise Minister three years ago, Minister Martin has received a report from the NCC every November pointing out that:

…[more]

Fingal County Council will soon put on public display a controversial plan to covert the Porterstown Road into a cul-de-sac and to open a new road linking the Diswellstown Road to the Luttrellstown Road. For clarity, the Porterstown Road is the road which accesses St Mochta’s National School, Football Club and St Brigid’s Halting Site. It is proposed to close this off at the Luttrellstown end. …[more]

Fine Gael TD for Dublin West has demanded that all development at the Hansfield Strategic Development Zone in Dublin 15 must stop if the new train station if An Bord Pleanala does not include the new station in the Dunboyne Rail Order. The new train station was promised as part of Transport 21 and the entire Strategic Development Zone of three thousand houses and apartments was designed around the new station. …[more]

Opening up new bus routes in Dublin to competition would prevent the sort of industrial action that has seen 60,000 commuters deprived of bus services in the last week, according to Fine Gael Dublin West TD and Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD.

“This week’s Dublin Bus strike has had a massive impact on 60,000 people in north and west Dublin. Commuters were left without buses to get to work, and there was a significant cost to businesses in the area including my own constituency.

…[more]

Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD has said the rising cost of doing business in Ireland is a major factor behind the 490 job losses confirmed at Waterford Crystal and said it was too simplistic to blame the redundancies on the weak dollar.

“This is yet another example of how Ireland’s competitiveness crisis is causing job losses. It is too simple to blame Waterford’s job losses on the weak dollar.

…[more]

Time to remove this anomaly

Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Dr Leo Varadkar TD has said it is very unfair that self-employed people have to pay €1,760 more in income tax than a PAYE worker on the same pay. The forthcoming Budget should begin to reduce this unfair penalty on the 350,000 people who are being discriminated against. …[more]

FF unable & unwilling to safeguard economy

A further 130 job losses in Naas and Shannon brings the number of likely redundancies this week to 380 as declining competitiveness drives jobs abroad and the housing downturn impacts on the construction sector, Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD said today (Tuesday).
…[more]

Fine Gael TD for Dublin West, Leo Varadkar has welcomed confirmation that Fingal County Council has begun legal enforcement proceedings against Manor Park Homes for their failure to provide promised amenities at Ongar including the provision of playing pitches, an all-weather sports facility, children’s playground, tennis courts and footpaths across the open space. This action follows a formal complaint made to the council by Deputy Varadkar on July 27th. …[more]

Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar has called on Brian Cowen and Micheál Martin to cop on to Ireland’s growing unemployment crisis as 250 likely job losses were announced. He was speaking after Atlas Aluminium in Limerick announced its closure with the loss of 165 jobs, while another 100 jobs are at risk at South Midland Construction in Dublin.

“This news confirms fears that unemployment next year could be even worse than the forecast of 5.5%. Ireland is now facing its worst job prospects in ten years. I would like to extend my sympathy to the Atlas staff who will lose their jobs by Christmas, and the employees at South Midland Construction who face a very uncertain future.

…[more]