Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 December 2013
141. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the supports that are available for social enterprises (details supplied) that are upskilling persons and providing produce for local businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51827/13]
View answerEarlier this year, Forfas published a report on Social Enterprise in Ireland. What is clear from the Forfas report is that social enterprises are not a homogenous group. There are many different types of social enterprises engaged in a wide variety of activity. The spectrum ranges from enterprises that are fully dependent on State support, to a small number of commercially trading companies.
The Forfas report shows that supports for social enterprises are provided by a number of Government Departments and agencies. These include the Department of Social Protection, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Health/HSE. Social enterprises that are operating commercially and developing self-sustaining business models can currently benefit from advisory supports provided by the City and County Enterprise Boards which come under the remit of my Department. However, the Forfas report indicates that of 1,400 social enterprises in Ireland in 2009, only one-third generated any trading income.
Funding is also available to social enterprises under the new Microenterprise Loan Fund which is administered by Microfinance Ireland.
The Taoiseach has assigned responsibility to Minister of State Sean Sherlock, T.D. on a personal basis for developing the social enterprise sector across Government, with secretariat support provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
Minister Sherlock has established and chairs an Inter-Departmental Group which includes the key Departments of Environment, Community and Local Government, Social Protection, Agriculture, Food and Marine, Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Health, and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. The group held its first meeting in October, and is scheduled to meet again in December.
