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Gender Balance

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2018

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Questions (290)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

290. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the degree to which enterprise led by women continues to be supported by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50852/18]

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Written answers

I am determined to see the numbers of businesses in Ireland led by women grow and for supports to continue to be delivered to businesswomen throughout Ireland. The deputy can be assured that my Department has a strong focus on the provision of supports and programmes to assist women to lead businesses, whether they are established businesses or new businesses.

The Government has to lead by example. Through a concerted effort throughout departments and agencies, the participation by women on State boards has increased over the last few years to 41 per cent. Unfortunately, female representation on corporate boards is lagging far behind. Women currently make up just 18.1 percent of directors of Irish-registered ISEQ20 companies, which is significantly lower than the EU average of 26.2 percent for large publicly-listed companies.

That is why the Better Balance for Better Business initiative was launched at an event in Government Buildings in July of this year. The Government has brought together a team of expert leaders to examine and make recommendations as to why there are so few women in senior executive positions and at board level in Irish companies. The review group will examine the gender mix at the governance and senior management levels in companies, as well as the issues that arise in connection with the appointment of directors and senior management. Dr Orlaigh Quinn, Secretary General of my Department, is one of the leaders on this group alongside Martin Shanahan, chief executive of IDA Ireland and Julie Sinnamon, chief executive of Enterprise Ireland. The Better Balance for Better Business group will report back with actions for Government and business to increase the percentage of women on corporate boards and in senior management in leading Irish companies. It will engage with companies to make the case for change and will report annually on its progress.

Another method to encourage more businesses in Ireland to be led by women is to have businesses start with women at the helm. The 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Ireland data suggest a persistent gender divide in Ireland in the business startup rate in Ireland. A gender divide is evident in most countries. GEM Ireland data suggests that if the rate of new business owners in Ireland for women was at the rate for men, an extra 8,000 women would have started a business in 2017. So clearly, we have an under-utilised resource, which is contributing and can contribute further to Ireland reaching its economic potential.

My Department is leading the way in providing a variety of programmes through its agencies to increase the number of women starting businesses and assisting them at every stage, from potential business leaders to women growing their businesses. My Department published the first National Entrepreneurship Policy Statement in 2014. Action 19 of the policy statement is to promote female entrepreneurship through identification and promotion of female role models, targeted events and awards, support for female entrepreneur networks and promotion of a dedicated area on corporate websites.

Enterprise Ireland has been at the forefront of examining the variance in the female to male ratio of start-ups and have put in place measures to address the imbalance. The Competitive Start Fund (CSF) for Female Entrepreneurs aims to support early stage start-ups. This programme is specifically for Female Entrepreneurs or female-led start-ups, active in the Manufacturing & Internationally Traded Services sectors including the following subsectors: Internet, Games, Apps, Mobile, SaaS, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Lifesciences, Food, Cleantech and Industrial Products. The establishment of this programme has resulted in a spill-over effect with increased female participation in other EI programmes. In 2017, 42 of the 96 businesses in all CSFs were female led. In 2012, just eight percent of the 97 High-Potential Start Ups (HPSUs) were female-led. However, in 2017, 28 percent of the total 90 HPSUs were female led.

As role modelling is particularly important to aspiring female businesswomen, Enterprise Ireland sponsors several key events:

- Image Business Woman of the Year Awards,

- Tatler Business Woman of the Year Awards and Conference,

- Network Ireland Awards and Conference, and

- Inspirefest, Silicon Republic.

Enterprise Ireland and Network Ireland have run ‘Fuelling Ambition’ roadshows across Ireland. ‘Lead and Succeed’ was the theme of this year’s roadshow which aims to encourage, support and drive the ambition of female entrepreneurs nationally by showcasing thriving Irish business women and entrepreneurs. The roadshow incorporated an Elevator Pitch competition and locations visited included Waterford, Kilkenny, Roscommon and Monaghan.

Enterprise Ireland also partners with key providers in providing training and capability development for early stage and establishes entrepreneurs. It developed a series of female accelerator programmes in partnership with knowledge providers. These included:

- Going for Growth with Paula Fitzsimons,

- DCU Ryan Academy Female Propeller Programme,

- NDRC Female Founders Programme, and

- CIT Female Exxcel Programme.

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are actively engaged in encouraging and inspiring an increase in female-led businesses through initiatives such as the annual National Women’s Enterprise Day and the Women in Business Networks. An important aspect of the networking programme is the promotion of successful female entrepreneurs as role models and the use of mentoring and networking opportunities which aims to build confidence of newly emerging female entrepreneurs and women operating established businesses.

We have seen progress in the numbers of women availing of many of the Services provided by the LEOs. For example, in 2017, 57% of participants attending core training programme, such as Start Your Own Business, were female.

From these actions and supports, it is evident that my Department has a strong focus on supporting female led enterprises. I want to see the numbers of these businesses increase for the betterment of the business environment and for society in general.

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