Martin ‘hopeful in terms of future’

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Micheál Martin says the Government’s fiscal measures have reassured markets and he is optimistic about Ireland’s economic outlook.

“We’re quite hopeful in terms of the future,” Mr Martin said in Washington yesterday.

“The very tough fiscal measures that we have taken in terms of the cutting of public-service pay, welfare payments, have reassured the international markets and community.”

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said this week the Government’s actions have stabilised the economy and growth will resume in the second half of 2010.

“The Irish political system has the capacity to come out of this recession,” Martin said.

“We’ve improved the situation fairly dramatically in the last 12 months.”

Ireland has “turned a corner”, he said.

And yesterday Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced that contracts and agreements for new export sales valued at over €60m were concluded by Enterprise Ireland client companies during this week’s trade and investment mission to Silicon Valley and Washington DC.

Kilkenny’s Taxback.com; Limerick’s Advanced Innovations and Galway’s Lifes2Good were among those that announced new sales deals.