Austin Deasy
Question:47 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the plans, if any, he has to make it attractive for employers to take on more employees.
Vol. 442 No. 2
47 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the plans, if any, he has to make it attractive for employers to take on more employees.
A number of initiatives have been established within my Department for the purposes of developing Irish economic activity and, consequently, increasing the attractiveness for employers to take on more employees. Such initiatives have been developed in the spirit of the Culliton report's findings, i.e. that of improving industrial performance, as a means to creating additional job opportunities. Some of these initiatives have been relatively recent developments. The following paragraphs indicate measures which are in place and which, amongst other objectives, are intended to have the effect of increasing the numbers of job opportunities in Irish business.
PRSI
In his 1994 Budget Statement the Minister for Finance announced a re-structured system of PRSI which included reductions of employers' contribution rates for lower paid employees. It is anticipated that this measure will assist in both the maintenance of existing jobs and the creation of new jobs in labour-intensive industries.
Task Force on Small Business
The Task Force on Small Business was a Government initiative to see what measures were needed to develop the full potential for small businesses to create additional job opportunities. This task force reported on its findings in March 1994, and this report included many recommendations which would have the effect of increasing the job creation incentive for small Irish businesses.
Following the publication of this report and its recommendations, I am at the moment establishing a small business/service unit within my Department which will be responsible for developing the ideas which have been identified in this report, and promoting job creation in the small business/service sectors generally.
Finance for Business/Industry
One of the principal constraints on the development of Irish indigenous industry and consequently employment has been identified as the difficulty of obtaining adequate development funding. In order to provide greater access to development funding in future a number of developments have taken place: