Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Feb 1997

Vol. 474 No. 3

Written Answers. - County Enterprise Boards.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

45 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he proposes to assess the success of the county enterprise boards; the number of proposals which were grant assisted in this regard; and the number of jobs which were created arising from these proposals since the county enterprise boards commenced. [2885/97]

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

I am satisfied that the county enterprise boards are playing a key role in developing local enterprise and are appreciated by their clients. The steady increase in the gross levels of job creation achieved by the boards reflects their positive impact in the local economy. My Department is engaged on a continuing basis in monitoring the progress of the county enterprise boards, including the outcome of project approvals in terms of jobs created, and in keeping track of the level and type of expenditure by each board compared with their programmes and plans.

A detailed information review of the activities and expenditure of county enterprise boards in the period from their inception in 1993 to the end of 1995 has been completed and will be published shortly. This publication at national level will complement the reviews and reports which are published by each particular county enterprise board as a means of informing the public about their activities.

The mid-term review of the local enterprise sub-programme of the operational programme for local urban and rural development, 1994-99. under which county enterprise boards are funded, is currently in the process of being finalised. The mid-term review has involved a thorough assessment of the entire range of programmes and activities of the boards, the efficiency and effectiveness with which their programmes have been delivered and their impact on enterprise development and job creation at county and city level against the background of the operational programme. The review is expected to make recommendations for the future operation of the local enterprise sub-programme. I intend to take full account of the mid-term review's findings in setting the strategic goals for county enterprise boards for the period 1997 to 1999.

I am circulating in the Official Report details of the projects approved by each board up to the end of 1996 and the number of gross jobs created in county enterprise board assisted enterprises up to the end of 1996, according to figures supplied by the boards. The 1996 figures are provisional. The following are the tables:

Jobs Created in CEB-Assisted Enterprises to 31 December 1996

County	1994	1994	1995	1995	1996	1996
	Full Time	Part Time	Full time	Part Time	Full Time	Part Time
Carlow	52	0	98	96	84	51
Cavan	45	15	75	60	99	43
Clare	67	20	105	47	101	19
Cork City	35	0	75	0	64	0
Cork North	32	0	71	0	56	0
Cork South	34	0	166	0	66	0
Cork West	39	9	95	0	56	0
Donegal	35	0	49	8	67	23
Dublin City	118	0	134	0	115	0
Fingal	29	2	145	2	50	0
South Dublin	24	5	51	1	157	0
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown	50	0	102	0	132	1
Galway County and City	319	51	139	29	201	12
Kerry	25	8	95	56	93	97
Kildare	32	0	58	0	102	15
Kilkenny	22	3	78	11	62	5
Laois	39	12	114	30	118	21
Leitrim	53	4	43	2	55	0
Limerick City	47	8	65	2	63	0
Limerick County	30	1	76	33	143	0
Longford	65	13	82	12	112	14
Louth	21	2	70	38	91	6
Mayo	69	32	128	44	80	13
Meath	44	3	49	7	132	0
Monaghan	27	1	59	8	31	2
Offaly	36	0	66	10	80	48
Roscommon	80	16	117	70	67	10
Sligo	53	21	65	61	68	45
Tipperary North	29	4	43	30	116	43
Tipperary South	19	3	17	0	69	34
Waterford City	78	0	94	45	79	0
Waterford County	11	4	48	7	55	19
Westmeath	29	0	32	13	21	0
Wexford	61	18	70	12	79	3
Wicklow	27	8	113	81	84	22
Total	1,776	263	2,887	815	3,048	546

Projects Approved for Assistance by Each CEB in 1993-94, 1995 and 1996

County Enterprise Board	Number of Projects Approved 1993-94	Number of Projects Approved 1995	Number of Projects Approved 1996
Carlow	88	47	32
Cavan	72	42	45
Clare	93	61	49
Cork City	66	45	54
Cork North	42	24	19
Cork South	86	38	44
Cork West	71	47	36
Donegal	79	65	32
Dublin City	83	50	82
Dublin Fingal	43	32	54
South Dublin	56	32	79
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown	58	45	78
Galway City and County	195	82	91
Kerry	155	41	47
Kildare	75	47	30
Kilkenny	70	40	48
Laois	62	37	42
Leitrim	87	46	50
Limerick City	94	53	44
Limerick County	137	43	43
Longford	61	41	50
Louth	44	45	58
Mayo	127	44	50
Meath	70	49	54
Monaghan	33	29	26
Offaly	72	56	47
Roscommon	88	52	40
Sligo	92	48	39
Tipperary NR	37	33	37
Tipperary SR	59	40	60
Waterford City	93	42	60
Waterford County	60	45	48
Westmeath	51	39	53
Wexford	103	66	63
Wicklow	57	34	38
Total	2,759*	1,580†	1,722‡

* Includes 802 feasibility studies. † Includes 324 feasibility studies. ‡ Includes 214 feasibility studies.