Vol. 444 No. 6
27 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the length of time for payment to be made from his Department for projects approved by the county enterprise boards; if he has satisfied himself with the present system that operates where all payments are authorised by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Payments on foot of county enterprise fund grants are made on the basis of expenditure by the grantees on the project, vouched as paid. It is primarily a matter for the relevant county enterprise officer to satisfy himself that the invoices are in order, and that all conditions relating to the grant have been met. In the vast majority of cases, where a satisfactory application for payment of grant is submitted to my Department by the county enterprise officer, no significant delay occurs at that stage. I am advised that allowing for the necessary administration of a claim, one week to ten days would be a typical period for the issue of a payment cheque from my Department to the county enterprise officer in favour of the granttee.
Deputies should note that while I am satisfied that my Department is taking all possible steps to facilitate the payment of county enterprise fund grants under current arrangements, these arrangements are of an interim nature, pending the establishment of the county enterprise boards as independent bodies, which it is my intention to achieve in the very near future. As independent bodies, it is intended that the boards take full responsibility for such matters as the administration of individual county enterprise fund grant payments.
