Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 May 2017
77. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to introduce grant aid for the development of enterprise centres by local statutory agencies or community organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23038/17]
View answerSince the launch of the first Community Enterprise Centre (CEC) scheme in 1989, €64 million has been approved for the development of CECs across the country. Since 1989, 157 centres have been approved for financial support - of which 117 have been completed. These centres collectively employ 6,051 people across 1,214 companies.
Most recently, a €5m Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme was launched in June 2015. 118 applications were considered with a total value of €12.3m. There was strong demand for the funding and the process was highly competitive. In June 2016, I announced that 32 applications were successful and these projects amounted to €3.06m.
I will shortly be launching a €60 million Competitive Regional Fund across 2017 - 2020 to further support collaborative approaches to boost enterprise and job creation throughout the country.
CECs will be eligible to apply for this competitive funding. However, I am conscious that the sustainability of the CEC’s is an on-going issue. Therefore proposals for any funding will need to demonstrate that self-sustainability is a key objective.
