Vol. 449 No. 2
67 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if the proposals to be implemented under the SME community initiative sponsored by the EU will be drawn up in consultation with organisations representing small business additional to existing programme and open to businesses in both the manufacturing and service sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3453/95]
The EU Initiative on SMEs offers a small fund of structural funding (£22.9 million over 5 years) designed to complement other developmental activity in Ireland by means of specific actions targeted at the SME sector.
The Irish operational programme responding to this initiative will specifically focus on the needs of small business in both the manufacturing and services sectors. The draft operational programme for small business has been under negotiation with the European Commission since November last. I am hopeful that it will be adopted shortly by the EU thereby enabling publication by my Department in early March.
The pivotal basis underlying the SME operational programme was the agenda set by the task force on small business in their report of March 1994. The task force was of course comprised of representational interests and practitioners in the small business and services domain. It was decided to focus the Irish response in a policy driven manner towards actions which were eligible within the terms set by the EU and which dovetailed with desirable assistance to small business arising from the work of the task force.
In addition, a large number of representations were received from State and private organisations, including organisations representing small business interests, seeking financial assistance for projects and programmes which could, in most instances, have fitted within the broad parameters of the EU outline for the initiative. These ideas usefully informed the process of preparing the draft operational programmae in my Department.
Accordingly, the programme to be announced shortly will be seen to have its genesis in the stated needs of small business, as articulated by small business interests themselves. Moreover, there will be scope for further input from small business organisations and a specific feedback mechanism enabling the small business community to advise me as to the programme's effectiveness.
