Nuala Fennell
Question:32 Mrs. Fennell asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he intends reintroducing the women in business programme which operated successfully in 1986.
Written Answers. - Women in Business Programme.
Mary Wallace
Question:45 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will outline the current Government policy in relation to encouraging women entrepreneurs.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 45 together.
The Industrial Development Authority and Shannon Development are the two State industrial development agencies operating under the aegis of my Department. Both agencies offer assistance for suitable manufacturing and international service business ideas and such assistance is available to all entrepreneurs regardless of gender.
In 1986, the then Minister of State for Women's Affairs, Deputy Fennell, launched the Women in Business Programme. The programme, which was completed at the end of 1987, was designed to help stimulate an enterprise culture among women at a time when it was considered that the number of female business promoters was very low.
The programme was never intended to last indefinitely, rather it was intended as a short term measure to help raise enterprise awareness among women. The late 1980s saw a significant increase in the number of projects by women approved by the IDA: IDA now estimate that over 20 per cent of the total projects approved by them are from female promoters compared to some 3 per cent in 1984.
I believe that this increase is more likely to be attributable to general cultural changes rather than specific short term industrial promotion programme changes.
I have no proposals to introduce a further programme of this nature in respect of the agencies and business areas under my Department.