Written Answers. - Regional Councils' Mandate.
Enda Kenny
Question:
139
Mr. E. Kenny
asked the
Minister for Enterprise and Employment
the role and responsibilities of the regional development councils, the county enterprise boards, the integrated rural development organisations, the Leader pilot programmes, and the Programme for Economic and Social Progress pilot areas; the individual and distinct responsibilities pertaining to each; other funding organisations and agencies under the aegis of his Department and their relationship with the above five named groups; his objectives in so far as regional development within Ireland is concerned regarding the work of these agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Deputy will appreciate that while county enterprise boards come under my area of responsibility, the regional authorities, the Leader pilot programmes and the Programme for Economic and Social Progress pilot areas come under the aegis of the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Taoiseach, respectively. I understand that the integrated rural development organisations are private community-based organisations.
The role and responsibilities of the county enterprise boards are strategic and the funding available to them should provide a new source of much-needed support for local enterprise initiatives. The county enterprise boards have been given clear enterprise and job creation objectives and are responsible for business areas not already covered by the State industrial development agencies.
Their key tasks are to tap the employment opportunities in their localities through: developing enterprise action plans covering all sectors in their county; creating local enterprise awareness and developing an enterprise culture to ensure community-based enterprise activity; providing grant support to individuals and local community groups to assist commercially viable small enterprise projects and influencing the allocation of resources for small enterprises from European Union, private and public funding sources.
The new boards will complement the work of the existing State agencies and will not displace or duplicate local enterprise initiatives such as those mentioned in the Deputy's question. Their role will be to facilitate local development and to act as a catalyst where no enterprise group is currently active at community level.
The other funding agencies under the aegis of my Department are IDA Ireland, FORBAIRT, SFADCo and FÁS. These agencies will continue to co-operate, as appropriate, with the organisations listed in the Deputy's question to ensure that a co-ordinated and comprehensive approach to job creation is pursued across a wide front.
As regards regional development, all the agencies under the aegis of my Department have regard, as appropriate, through their structures and operations to regional and national industrial policy, such as the promotion of disadvantaged areas, balanced regional development, improved linkages between indigenous industry and overseas-owned companies and the development of industrial clusters around sources of national competitive advantage.
