Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 July 2018
190. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the estimated cost of re-establishing the co-operative development unit in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29894/18]
View answerI have no plans to establish a co-operative development unit within my Department at this point in time, and therefore, it is not possible to estimate the cost of setting up and running such a unit.
I can say that my Department already works to support co-operatives. The Friendly Societies and Industrial and Provident Societies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 was aimed primarily at easing the regulatory burden on co-operative societies and making it easier to start up and run a co-operative as an alternative form of enterprise organisation. It addressed particular problems that were identified in the co-operative sector and helps to ensure this model thrives and grows to its potential to promote appreciation of the co-operative as a form of enterprise.
My Department supports co-operatives in the same way as we support other enterprises. The co-operative model is one of a number of legal options that are available to those considering establishing themselves in business and the different models have their own distinct characteristics. It is of course a matter for each individual operation to choose the model that best suits the nature of the business and the desired ethos of the entity.
My Department provides a full range of enterprise supports for new and existing businesses, primarily through its development Agencies, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. I would direct the Deputy to my Department's website: https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/Which-support-is-for-you/. This webpage provides links to a number of useful resources including the Supporting SMEs online tool which helps direct SMEs to relevant Government supports (the tool contains over 170 supports).
