Vol. 495 No. 7
97 Mr. McDowell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the further resources, if any, she proposes to allocate to the county enterprise boards to assist micro business development following the launch of Enterprise Ireland. [21136/98]
I would refer the Deputy to my reply to a related question on 30 June 1998, when I intimated that the need for additional funding for enterprise boards did not arise at that time from the establishment of Enterprise Ireland. In particular I emphasised on that occassion that the establishment of Enterprise Ireland would not alter the functions of the county enterprise boards, other than that there would be more clearly defined arrangements for the transfer of micro-enterprise projects — ten employees or fewer — between the new agency and the boards.
These arrangements, which are in the process of being implemented, entail the identification of enterprise board clients which in time and with their likely growth potential could remain clients of Enterprise Ireland under the new arrangements; the transfer to the enterprise boards of former ABT-Forbairt clients which would more appropriately belong to the enterprise boards; and co-ordination of sectoral policies and displacement-deadweight criteria in the assessment of projects.
