Profile

Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment (September 2004 – May 2008)

• Delivering on the Government’s €1.4 billion Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy. For the first time ever Government Department’s and Agencies embarked on a joined up effort to deliver jobs and investment by developing the Knowledge Economy.

• Working with Enterprise Ireland to ensure it focused on delivering maximum supports for small and medium sized Irish companies which form the backbone of our economy by employing over 700,000 people and exporting €13 billion worth of goods and services a year.

• Establishment of the Small Business Forum. The forum identified the key issues facing small firms, its recommendations have helped form policies which deliver for Irish companies.

• Establishment of the National Consumer Agency. Since established in 2007 the Agency is at the forefront in protecting the rights of the consumer across all areas. It receives 80,000 phone calls and 250,000 web hits a year. The agency not only responds to calls from the public but carries out research to ensure we all get a fair deal across all goods and services.

• Abolition of the Grocers Order so as to get rid of protectionism. This move effectively liberated consumers. The order kept the prices of the vast majority of grocery products in Ireland at an artificially high level by allowing suppliers to specify minimum prices below which products cannot not be sold.

• Worked with IDA Ireland to attract inward investment into Ireland, and to continue supporting those multi nationals which are already based here. Major investments by Google, Facebook, McAfee, GlaxoSmithKline, Bank of America and many more were achieved. A focus on Research and Development saw many world leading companies form key partnerships with Irish colleges and universities.