Phil Hogan
Question:3 Mr. Hogan asked the Taoiseach the role he envisages for the new County Enterprise Boards and their likely impact on job creation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Enterprise Boards.
I would refer the Deputy to the Government statement which was issued by the Taoiseach on 1 October 1992, to the statement which I issued myself on 6 October and to contributions to the debate on employment made in this House on Thursday and Friday last by both the Taoiseach and myself confirming details of the new County Enterprise Partnership Boards. These statements outline the specific decisions, which have been taken by the Government on the objectives, strategy, funding, staffing and the process of establishing the County Enterprise Partnership Boards.
The partnership boards will play a major role in job creation at local level. They also represent a significant step forward in the devolution of power to local communities. Ordinary people will have the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their lives — decisions which up to now have been made at national level. Each board, with directors drawn from all our main industries and State agencies will provide for the close co-operation of the private sector and the public service.
The chairperson of the boards will be an employer representative. The other members of the boards will include the chairperson of the local authority, the county manager and representatives of local communities, social partners and public agencies.
The partnership boards will have three key objectives, for the development of small and start up enterprises, employing up to 12 people; for training and education, especially as linked to enterprise development; and for local community development. The partnership boards will prepare action plans for their counties and areas. These plans will set down specific proposals, to be implemented through decisions of key sub-committees of the boards, in the areas of small and start up enterprise development, of training and education and of local community development.
A forum of relevant local organisations will be held in each county quarterly, to ensure an exchange of ideas and feedback to local communities on the boards' activities. The process of establishing partnership boards will start immediately and will be undertaken in consultation with all existing interests at both local and regional level.
Will the Minister agree that the establishment of new county partnership boards will not have a tangible effect on the creation of new employment opportunities at local level? This is a new layer of bureaucracy between the applicant seeking aid from the State and the various agencies which will be implementing such aid. Will the Minister also agree that this work is already being done by regional tourism organisations, regional development organisations and local authorities and that the establishment of a new agency will not help the creation of new jobs at local level?
I do not agree with the Deputy's negative attitude. Far from being another layer of bureaucracy this is a clear decision by the Government to have a demarcation on the whole job creation system, the first time it has ever been done.
Bless your innocence.
New projects, up to and including 12 jobs, will in future be considered and decided at local level by the new enterprise partnership boards. Funding will be made available, bureaucracy will be eliminated and decisions will be taken. The Government have acknowledged the contributions made successfully since 1965 by the county development teams and — since the seventies — by the regional tourism organisations. Taking their expertise into account, the Government have decided to amalgamate them so that there will be a smooth transfer of decisions, a new board put into position and decisions taken quickly in relation to the small indigenous industries to eliminate unemployment.
Is the Minister of State aware that he is setting up an elaborate talking shop consisting of the chief executive officer from Teagasc who is the liquidating officer for agriculture in rural areas? He mentioned the regional representatives of the IDA and FÁS — two agencies which have gobbled up billions of pounds of taxpayers' money. Is the Minister of State aware that several local authorities, including Mayo County Council, with Deputy O'Toole and Deputy Morley present, unanimously rejected the document as nothing but a meaningless talking shop which should be referred back for further consideration? They adopted the Fine Gael policy, which advocates a regional structure, comprised of consolidated, hard-nosed business people, who could do a better job——
A question, please. I want to facilitate other Deputies and I appeal for brevity.
The Deputy's remarks are not factual. He should read the document in great detail and consult his brother who is the head of a very good local organisation. He is very enthusiastic in relation to the decisions we have taken and is very positively in favour of them. He reflects the views of many people who are anxious to have a say in the decision-making process to create job projects.
They do not listen to me on the county council.
It proves you can never be responsible for your brother. How does the Minister intend to relate this community enterprise board to the greater Dublin area which at present has two local authorities and whose county area is about to be split into three areas? Indeed some of the reserve functions have already been transferred to sub-bodies which are embryo local authorities for the county area. It is intended to establish four county enterprise boards in the greater Dublin area?
Later questions in the name of the Deputy's colleague deal with that matter.
I understood they were taken with this question.
No, we should wait until we come to the question of dealing with that matter.
What will the relationship be between the proposed new county enterprise boards and the existing structures in operation under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress and Leader pilot programmes in various parts of the country?
The relationship will be one of co-operation and there will be common membership of both bodies. At least some of the public sector members on the new boards are on the other boards. The new bodies will be allowed to fulfil their mandate and will be absorbed into the new structures in due course if it is feasible.
Does the Minister of State recall the enactment last year of the Local Government (Reorganisation) Act in which it was declared Government policy to restore more and more local democracy? Will he accept that the proposal, the subject of this question, runs counter to local democracy? Far from getting rid of bureaucracy, the Government are getting rid of democracy.
I reject the Deputy's remarks. We are creating a new structure which will include five people from the public sector, ten from the community sector and an employer — 11 from the community sector — who will be elected by developmental and commercial community groups. This fulfils the provision of the Act as it is developing power from national to local level. It will be a new partnership between the State, the public sector and the people——
They used to have that system in Eastern Europe.
This is a new partnership, a new concept and there is tremendous goodwill in relation to it.
I will now call Deputy Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) and I will hear a final question from Deputy Hogan.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): I anticipate rejection from the Minister because he has rejected everything so far.
I only rejected the negative proposals.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): Does the Minister feel that tourism — our real potential growth area — can be projected in a better fashion at county level instead of at regional level?
Absolutely. There is tremendous goodwill for the decision taken in regard to tourism by the people in the industry. For far too long the focus has not been at county level but at regional level. Areas in many counties have not got the attention they deserve because regional tourism organisations were hamstrung for resources. We are now creating a new structure which will involve the appointment of a county tourism manager in each county. He, in consultation with the local tourist interest and all the tourism bodies, will have to create a county tourism plan which will be adopted by his tourism sub-committee and the county enterprise partnership board and submitted to Dublin as part of a national tourism strategy. There will be liaison round the country through the national management company which we are setting up and a much greater focus on the county promoting tourism equally in all areas instead of concentrating on present growth areas.
We should realise that we have dealt with only three questions in almost half an hour, which is most unsatisfactory progress. Let us expedite matters; I will hear a final and brief question from Deputy Hogan.
Will the Minister of State agree that the establishment of county partnership boards and basing them in the Department of the Taoiseach is very unusual? Normally they would be based in the Department of Industry and Commerce who are responsible for matters of industrial policy. In view of the commitment given in the documentation circulated — that these boards will be reviewed in one year — will he agree that the boards will, effectively, be just another temporary little arrangement?
As far as we are concerned this is positive progress. There is nothing unusual about locating them in the Department of the Taoiseach because the whole Programme for Economic and Social Progress structure is located there——
Goodman was located there.
This is a result of a consensus reached between the private sector and the State, indeed the whole commercial system. This is a new partnership and an evolution and expansion of the tremendous initiative which has been shown since the Programme for Economic and Social Progress structure was created.
How will the county enterprise boards relate to the proposed regional structures that the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Smith, has announced he will create and how will they relate to the European Committee on the regions to be established under the Maastricht Treaty?
The Government are in constant consultation with the European Commission in relation to the whole structure we have created. Those discussions have shown the structure proposed to be the ideal structure. The European Commission are prepared to support major job creation initiatives in each member state, provided there is a major community dimension. The new structure is what is desired by Europe. The Government are fulfilling the requirements laid down. Any necessary changes and linkages with the proposed regional structures being created by the Minister for the Environment will be taken on board.