Ivor Callely
Ceist:118 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the way in which the county enterprise boards will co-operate with each other; the benefits of such co-operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - County Enterprise Boards.
The county enterprise boards have been established on the basis of the major local authority boundaries. Their role is to facilitate local enterprise development and to act as a catalyst where no enterprise group is currently active at community level.
The county enterprise board initiative is a key component of the local development programme which is an innovative feature of theNational Development Plan, 1994-1999. Within the context of the operational programme which will form part of the new community support framework, specific arrangements will be made to ensure co-ordination and a sufficient degree of integration between the range of local initiatives involved in the interests of achieving maximum impact and synergy in their implementation.
This will be achieved at both the national and local levels. At the national level, an inter-departmental policy committee on local development has been established, with senior officials from the relevant Government Departments and agencies. Its role will be to promote awareness of and commitment to the programme on the part of the whole range of public agencies. It will also address issues of co-operation and co-ordination which cannot be resolved satisfactorily at local level. At a local level, co-operation and liaison with other elements of the programme will be maintained, so as to ensure the appropriate degree of integration in terms of structure, strategic planning, operational and financial arrangements.
Moreover, the county enterprise boards have been urged in the context of preparing their county enterprise action plans to consider the prospects for developing co-operation in the form of networking between the boards themselves, between the boards and other agencies and between the boards and my Department. In addition, I would expect the boards to maintain contact with each other on matters relating to their common mandate; to share ideas; to assist each other in solving problems as they arise, particularly where counties are contiguous; and in the promotion of trans-county initiatives.