Annual Report 2003

Link to full Annual Report (PDF, 1.47MB)

The Department's Annual Report for 2003 is the first since we published our Statement of Strategy last year, covering the years 2003-2005. The Statement of Strategy grouped our goals, strategic actions and performance indicators around five pillars, reflecting the key strategic business functions of the Department - enterprise, science and innovation; quality work and learning; better regulation; customer service and the European Union. This Annual Report is structured under the same five pillars, demonstrating the considerable achievements of 2003 across the Department's strategic functions.

2003 presented a variety of challenges for the Irish economy, against a backdrop of the continuing global economic slowdown (although the latter part of the year showed sign of recovery). In terms of competitiveness, the most recent report from the National Competitiveness Council showed that Ireland, along with Finland, is the most expensive country in the Euro area for consumer goods and services. We have taken action to redress this situation by, among other things, steering the enactment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003, leading to the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB). The PIAB, by processing uncontested claims, without the need for litigation costs, should significantly reduce compensation awards. The Competition Authority continues to work towards removing barriers to competition, thus helping to ensure that healthy competition in the market place will lead to better choice and lower prices. In 2003 we also saw the need to encourage the development of a stronger consumer lobby in Ireland. This led to the establishment in March 2004, of the Consumer Strategy Group, the role of which is to advise on the development of a national consumer policy.

The establishment of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) on a statutory basis in July 2003, marked Ireland's commitment to the promotion of Ireland as a world centre of research excellence in strategic scientific areas, particularly in the sciences that underpin Biotechnology and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). To date, SFI has made commitments of over 320 million, involving 149 researchers and their teams working in areas such as materials science, nanotechology, photonics, software engineering, genomics, proteomics and neuroscience. This is in line with our strategic goal of prioritising investment in science, technology and innovation and our commitment to the Lisbon Agenda of developing the knowledge society.

In terms of quality work and learning, the Department continued to strive to ensure that our policies respond to shifting skills needs and that our interventions are targeted at delivering better jobs, greater social inclusion, protecting the rights and welfare of people in work and lifelong learning for all. In the area of Social Partnership, the Department played a key role in negotiating the new National Agreement - Sustaining Progress - ratified in March 2003.

Finally, 2003 saw a continuing commitment within the Department to the Strategic Management Initiative. Key initiatives in this area include major progress in the development of the Management Information Framework, the development of a Human Resources Strategy, the appointment of an Equality Facilitator and a Disability Liaison Officer and the introduction of a formal complaints procedure which provides our customers with an accessible and simple to use system to submit complaints about the quality of service that we provide.

2004 presents further challenges to the Department, not least those of implementing the Government's decentralisation programme and key input into the European agenda, particularly in terms of Ireland's Presidency of the EU during the first six months of the year. I am confident that, with the continuing high level of engagement and cooperation of my colleagues, we will more than meet these challenges.

Paul Haran
Secretary General