Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 November 2013
317. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will report on the progress of the preparation of the policy statement on entrepreneurship; the number of submissions received as part of the consultation process; and if he will confirm whether the policy statement will contain specific actions to be taken within a defined timeframe for promoting entrepreneurship. [50833/13]
View answerSuccessful entrepreneurship is critical to Irish economic development, and consequently, supporting entrepreneurship is a central part of our Action Plan for Jobs. 67% of all new job-creation comes from businesses in the first five years of existence. A continuous and steady flow of new business start-ups plays a crucial role in creating jobs and sustainable economic growth and will be central to Ireland emerging out of its current problems
To assist entrepreneurial activity, work is ongoing to deliver a National Entrepreneurship Policy Statement for Q4 of 2013. This new policy statement will be focussed on entrepreneurship in terms of start-up companies and aims to ensure that the overall environment is conducive to increasing the levels of people starting up new businesses across all industry sectors, both domestically trading and export-oriented. Within this statement there will also be a focus on youth entrepreneurship.
To support the development of the policy statement, I have been keen to take suggestions and advice from people who have actually taken the entrepreneurial route, have direct experience of the challenges facing entrepreneurs and can provide a relevant insight into the responses needed in the current economic environment. Therefore, I established an entrepreneurship advisory forum, chaired by entrepreneur and investor Sean O’Sullivan in May 2013 to draft appropriate policy conclusions and recommendations which will support business start-ups, sustainable growth and long term job creation. The Forum’s Report is to be presented to me shortly.
In advance of the work of the forum and to ensure that the forum had information on the latest views of the entrepreneurial community, my Department held a public consultation in May of this year inviting interested parties to submit written views and suggestions to support the development of a national entrepreneurship policy statement. A total of 74 written submissions were received and these have been very useful in concentrating the work on the key areas of importance. I also had my officials organise a number of face to face meetings throughout the summer and autumn with various entrepreneurs and stakeholders to ensure that the work remained focused on the relevant issues.
The findings and recommendations arising from the entrepreneurship forum, the public consultation submissions and the stakeholder discussions will all feed into the drafting of a national entrepreneurship policy statement which I hope to complete shortly. Following the publication of the policy statement, a number of specific actions, incorporating both commitments from the Government policy statement, and the entrepreneurship forum’s recommendations will be included for immediate implementation in the Action Plan for Jobs 2014.
