Vol. 438 No. 4
49 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the plans, if any, he has to give real autonomy to local enterprise boards by letting them make financial decisions rather than getting approval from his Department.
The current operating guidelines and funding arrangements for county enterprise boards are of an interim and temporary nature. These arrangements reflect the limited scope for manoeuvre which exists within the public accounting norms governing all expenditure in respect of which I, as Minister, and my Department, can be held responsible to Dáil Éireann. It is my intention to cede direct control of these arrangements to the boards, consistent with the prudent controls and transparency and accountability necessary where the expenditure of public moneys is concerned. I look forward to seeing the County Enterprise Boards operating as autonomous limited companies employing their own staff with budgetary control in due course.
