‘Firm decision’ promised on airport’s future

The economic crisis presents Ireland with a great opportunity to implement reform to achieve recovery, and to ensure the calamity inflicted on the Irish people is never repeated, Enda Kenny said last night.

Delivering the keynote address at the Cork Chamber annual dinner, the Taoiseach said the seeds of a brighter future were here.

“The current crisis presents us with a great opportunity to change things in this country for the better. To make the reforms this country needs to achieve economic recovery and, most of all, to make Ireland the best small country in the world in which to do business,” he said.

Mr Kenny said this Government was determined that the necessary decisions and changes were made to ensure that we, as a country and a people, could move together to that brighter future.

“Government alone can’t do it. We need your help too. When we get there, we’ll ensure that the economic calamity inflicted on the Irish people is never allowed to be repeated again,” he said at the function in Cork City Hall last night.

The Taoiseach said that this week the Government had discussed a major action plan for jobs.

“It’s called an action plan because that’s what it is. Unlike previous Government reports, this plan will drive change and progress across Government. I will be taking a special interest in ensuring that it is delivered over the course of 2012.”

The Taoiseach said efforts were continuing across Europe and further afield to bring under control the financial fires that rage across the continent.

“There’s huge international goodwill to Ireland. Ireland has a terrific place in the heart and imagination of people, of business, all over the world.

“To exploit that, we’re undertaking what you might call an international charm offensive at the level of business, politics and diplomacy.”

The Taoiseach recounted that last week in Davos, Switzerland, leaders in global business and politics were eager to hear about Ireland, and were impressed by how Ireland is dealing with this crisis.

“I reminded some of them that the city of St Gallen, just up the road from Davos, was called after our own missionary, Gall.

“That it was Irish monks like Gall and Columbanus who, in the sixth century, brought Europe out of the Dark Ages. Pope Benedict himself calling Columbanus ‘one of the founding fathers of Europe’.

“From our small island in the Atlantic, Ireland changed the world. We must remember ... we have form,” he said.

The Taoiseach said lack of credit for small business has rightly been identified as a real barrier for growth and new jobs.

“In the coming weeks, the Government will be launching a micro-finance loan fund for small enterprises and introducing a temporary partial credit guarantee scheme to help commercially viable businesses that are having difficulty securing credit.

“In addition, the Economic Management Council will be meeting the banks shortly to ensure that they live up their lending commitments to small business, which for the two pillar banks involves lending €3.5bn each in 2012 and €4bn each in 2013.”

The Taoiseach said he was aware there was a desire to bring certainty to the future of Cork Airport and reminded his audience that Transport Minister Leo Varadkar had ordered a report on options for the future ownership and operation of both Cork and Shannon airports.

“The Government recognises the importance of Cork Airport to this region. We know Cork Airport is performing well. But we know, equally, that the current situation whereby Cork and Shannon have their own boards, but have limited autonomy from the Dublin Airport Authority, is not in the best interests of developing and ensuring that these airports reach their full potential.