A good plan….but….
Which are the high impact priority actions? Do we really need 270 measures many of which have nothing to do with the creation of conditions to promote risk taking, innovation and entrepreneurship?
How much will the plan cost? Most of the measures have no budget indicated.
Should entrepreneurs as well as state agencies have a role in monitoring the effective implementation of the plan? The Government should appoint a Jobs Champion from the private sector to give the plan a degree of credibility.
On specifics, nothing new is said about practical steps to promote the green economy. The current green economy action plan is being reviewed. It would have been much better if the current plan’s 50+ measures were actually implemented. The poor priority attached to this sector is a serious disappointment. In contrast, the green economy and the development of low carbon technologies are top of the political and business agenda in competitor economies
Bolder action should have been taken to assist SMEs exploit their successes in winning public contracts. EI should be mandated to approve modest grant aid, say €4,000, to help companies produce top quality tender submissions targeted at export opportunities. EI also should have been asked to set up a significant training and mentoring programme targeted at UK tenders which are valued at some €240 billion.
Peter Brennan
