Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 23 May 1996

Vol. 465 No. 8

Written Answers. - County Enterprise Boards.

Seamus Brennan

Question:

96 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the reason for the delay in providing agreed funds to county enterprise boards; if his attention has been drawn to the inconvenience this lack of funding is causing to small businesses which have only received part of the agreed grants and which were established on the basis of funding commitments which cannot be honoured; whether the collapse of the funding arrangements is due to a Departmental industrial dispute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10686/96]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

I regret that substantial arrears have built up in the system of issuing payable orders to county enterprise boards as a result of the recent industrial action by members of the Civil and Public Service Union.

My Department has been keeping in close touch with boards about the position of the project promoters who were most directly affected by the dispute. As the industrial dispute has now been resolved, I have arranged for staff to be deployed on overtime to ensure that all payment arrears to county enterprise boards can be cleared by the beginning of next week.