Skip to main content
Normal View

Employment Support Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 April 2014

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Questions (101)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

101. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the supports for job creation available to businesses setting up in the inner city of Dublin (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15777/14]

View answer

Written answers

Anyone interested in starting their own business should in the first instance contact their local County and City Enterprise Board (CEB). The CEBs support the indigenous micro-enterprise sector in the start-up and expansion phases and stimulate enterprise potential at local level. They are the first port of call in terms of advice, direction, training and grant support for anyone who wishes to start a business. Contact details for the CEBs are available on www.enterpriseboards.ie.

The Deputy may wish to note that the system for delivery of State supports to micro and small enterprises is being reformed and that the 35 existing County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) will be dissolved and new Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) will be created. This reform will bring about a new level of engagement and interaction at both national and local level in relation to enterprise support and economic recovery and growth. The CEBs will be legally dissolved and the LEOs formally launched later this month.

Currently, the CEBs generally only grant assist enterprises in the manufacturing or internationally traded services sector, which over time can develop into strong export entities and graduate to the Enterprise Ireland portfolio. Retail enterprises are ineligible for direct financial support from the CEBs due to concerns over displacement (where grant-assisted projects simply displace business from other players in the local market).

When established, the LEOs will become the first-stop-shop through which information on national and local supports for business can be accessed, where new start-up and micro-enterprises can be grant-aided, where small businesses can receive training and mentoring, and where businesses with clear high growth potential can be fast-tracked to the next level of support from Enterprise Ireland.

However, anyone setting up or operating a business can benefit from participating in the CEB/LEO non-financial or “soft” support programmes. All locally trading businesses, including start-ups, can avail of non-financial assistance from their CEB/LEO in the form of a wide range of business advice and information services, management capability training and development programmes, e-Commerce training initiatives, etc. Training courses include such topics as start-your-own-business (SYOB), taxation for beginners, internet marketing, ideas generation and negotiation skills.

In addition, any start-up can use the CEBs/LEOs as a gateway to accessing finance from Micro Finance Ireland, which offers support in the form of loans of up to €25,000 to start-up, newly established or growing microenterprises employing less than 10 people with viable business propositions that do not meet the conventional risk criteria applied by the banks. The Fund has a significant entrepreneurship focus and is open to anyone with a viable business proposal. Applications for the Microfinance Fund should be channelled through the local CEB/LEO. However, if the Irish Business School is intending to market itself internationally, with the objective of attracting international students, there may be a role for Enterprise Ireland (EI). In this event, the owner of the school should contact EI at www.enterprise-ireland.com.

Top
Share