Forfas 2009 - The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use

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Report of the High Level Group on Green Enterprise <strong>The</strong> green economy can make a significant contribution to Ireland’s economy by creating employment and export opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and consultancy, waste management, recovery and recycling, and water and wastewater treatment. <strong>The</strong>re is also an opportunity to help every business to improve their competitive position, for example through actions to improve energy efficiency, energy security of supply, and better utilisation of waste as a valuable resource. <strong>The</strong> former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, TD and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, TD jointly established a High Level Group on Green Enterprise in May <strong>2009</strong>. <strong>The</strong> formation of the Group followed a commitment in the Government’s Building Ireland’s Smart Economy strategy and builds on the Forfás study, Environmental Goods and Services Sector on the Island of Ireland: Enterprise Opportunities and Policy Implications, which was published in October 2008. <strong>The</strong> Group prepared an implementable action plan on green enterprise development in Ireland with specific actions and timelines for each stakeholder. Forfás provided research and policy analysis to the Group. 55 recommendations were made, most of which are lowcost or cost-neutral. <strong>The</strong>se include: 30 <strong>The</strong> continued development of the electricity grid is essential, both domestically and via interconnection to the UK/Europe. We must adopt an ambitious plan to develop the ICT capabilities of the grid (e.g. smart meters). Ireland needs to develop green zones in order to create an environment that can support green enterprise and be used to market Ireland overseas. Developing a green IFSC presents an immediate opportunity. Create world-class research centres in niche areas. <strong>The</strong> pooling of research expertise and/or the development of formal research alliances at national, all-island and international level must be advanced. <strong>The</strong> report, Developing the Green Economy in Ireland, was launched by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in December <strong>2009</strong>. <strong>The</strong> findings of the report have been communicated widely including several presentations nationwide to stakeholders, all of whom have a role to play in the report’s implementation. <strong>The</strong> Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal is mandated to progress implementation of the recommendations, and Forfás and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation will review progress in late 2010. To date, a number of actions have already been implemented. <strong>The</strong>se include recommendations on the introduction of a carbon tax and extensions to capital allowances for businesses to promote green investment announced in Budget 2010. Other recommendations underway are the commitment of IDA Ireland to retrofit a business park to meet high energy-efficiency standards and proposals are being progressed to introduce water charging. Furthermore, green public procurement guidelines to support the development of green products and services are being developed. In 2010, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs will publish a report on the skills relevant to the development of the green economy. Further details of this report are available on page 78.
Energy Related Goods and Services FORFÁS ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2009</strong> Energy related goods and services is an important evolving sector where Ireland is in a position to gain competitive advantage. Working with the enterprise development agencies, Forfás completed an assessment of the opportunities for Ireland within the sector, matching international trends in investment to technological advances and domestic capabilities. This report formed an important input into both the Irish Energy Tetralemma and the report of the High Level Group on Green Enterprise. Many of the findings and recommendations relating to smart grids, energy management ICT systems, green finance and the integration of renewable energy directly informed the work of the High Level Group, while the enterprise opportunities identified in both fossil fuels generation and renewable alternatives were included in the competitiveness pillar of the Energy Tetralemma (page 84). Analysis of Agency Intervention In <strong>2009</strong>, Forfás undertook a comprehensive analysis of development agency interventions in achieving enterprise policy objectives. This analysis was done in the context of understanding that agency interventions are just one factor impacting on firm-level performance. <strong>The</strong> first analysis was undertaken in 2005, and the collation of data over the intervening years this time enabled Forfás to undertake a more comprehensive trend analysis which was based on data for the period 2003-2008. Increased exports result in increased economic activity in terms of employment and/or Irish economic expenditure (IEE). <strong>The</strong> agencies’ activities are focused primarily at firm level to stimulate and support new business investments, and to assist existing companies to grow and continuously transform their operations so that they are sustainable in the longer term. When interpreting the results of the analysis, and the performance of the agency client companies, it is important to consider the economic environment in which the agency inputs and firm level outputs occur. For most of the period under review (2003-2008) the performance of the global economy was relatively robust, with 2008 being the first year that the recent economic crisis was starting to have a visible impact. <strong>The</strong> principle messages emerging from the data analysis are as follows: <strong>The</strong> effects of the economic crisis on the performance of the agency client base can most clearly be seen in employment figures, which declined sharply over 2007 to 2008. In the years preceding the onset of the crisis, Ireland's competitiveness had deteriorated substantially. Export performance among indigenous companies was subdued when compared to OECD averages for the period, and proportionately less Irish materials and services were being used as inputs to Irish based production processes. <strong>The</strong> shifting of the enterprise base from manufacturing towards services will also have had an impact on the type of inputs sourced in Ireland. Gross value added in indigenous companies was up, as were the numbers of companies engaging in R&D, a positive indicator of Ireland's continuance along an evolutionary path towards higher value activities. <strong>The</strong> analysis underscores the fundamental importance of the competitive health of the Irish economy. Declining competitiveness is not something agency intervention alone can overcome. A significantly greater return on agency investments can only be 31
Page 1: FORFÁS ANNUAL REPORT 2009<
Page 5: Table of Contents About Forfás 5 F
Page 9 and 10: About Us FORFÁS ANNUAL REPORT <str
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Page 13 and 14: Anne Heraty resigned from the Board
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Long Term Energy Framework Forfás
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Waste Management Benchmarking <stro
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Discover Science & Engineering Disc
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Corporate Shared Services Forfás p
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The Irish
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In addition, INAB maintained one ce
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INAB Board Members 2009</st
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Corporate Governance Forfás was es
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Board Attendance 108 Board Member F
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Report of the Comptroller and Audit
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Statement of Board Members' Respons
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The Board's monito
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5. Foreign Currencies Monetary asse
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Statement of Total Recognised Gains
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Cash Flow Statement Year Ended 31 D
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Notes to the Accounts Year Ended 31
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Notes to the Accounts (cont.) Year
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Appendix: Advisory Councils
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Expert Group on Future Skills Needs
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Management Development Council 142
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Publications 2009/
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Forfas 2009 - The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use

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