I thank both the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Ceann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity of raising this extremely important issue on the Adjournment. I realise that the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is in Donegal and is not available to take the matter. I am glad, however, that her Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, is here to respond to the debate.
The issue of this year's funding for the County Wexford Enterprise Board is a very simple and straightforward one which I hope and expect will meet with a positive response. The cash budget available for this year which was notified recently to the board is £262,000. I will explain the figure in a straightforward manner because we can become bamboozled with figures. In the outstanding commitments from last year, and every year since the boards were established, it was understood that there was a carry over figure that had not been drawn down. The carry over figure is £197,884. The commitments for 2001 are £285,336 of which, to date, £22,116 has been paid out. That leaves a total liability for the board of £483,220, to be paid out before the year end. That is the board's estimated requirement for this year.
The cash budget notified to it by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is £262,000 so the shortfall for this year will amount to £221,220. This shortfall is on the basis that all applications currently on hand are simply frozen. Indeed, projects approved by the enterprise board's evaluation committee and valued at £75,500 have been frozen. Put simply, on the basis of the reduced allocation available to County Wexford Enterprise Board this year the board, which is a limited company set up with the social partners acting at local level as volunteer members, is insolvent. There was great anger at the board meeting when that predicament was discovered. This is against the background of the recent closure of Wexal in Enniscorthy, the closure of Wexford Weaving, a significant company in Wexford town, and lay-offs in a number of companies across County Wexford. There is now an acknowledged crisis in Wexford, a point accepted by the Tánaiste in her response during a recent debate in this House following the closure of Wexford Weaving.
It is simply not good enough for one of the successes in job creation, which has created some 800 to 900 jobs at an average cost of something less than £4,000 each, to be put in this position. I expect the Minister to assuage my annoyance and the annoyance and anger of the members of Wexford County Enterprise Board by stating that the shortfall will be addressed immediately and the small sum of money under discussion will be provided to ensure not only that the estimated shortfall on current projects is met but also that sufficient resources will be provided to the board immediately to allow them begin to tackle the unemployment crisis that exists in Wexford. Anything less will be met with disbelief and anger by the people of the county I represent.
