Gerry Reynolds
Ceist:154 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make ready reckoners available to owners of small businesses to assist in the euro changeover. [27753/01]
Written Answers. - Euro Changeover.
My Department, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, has specific responsibility for providing information to assist all businesses, including SMEs, with their preparations for the euro currency which will come into being on 1 January 2002.
The EMU Business Awareness Campaign, which is managed by Forfás at the request of this Department, has undertaken this task since it was launched in December 1996. To date the campaign has produced a comprehensive range of publications of relevance to all sectors of the Irish economy which have been widely disseminated to Irish businesses including owners of small businesses.
Irish pound to euro ready reckoners have already been distributed to many businesses and are available through the Forfás EMU Business Awareness Campaign to any business that wishes to make application for same. These ready reckoners give euro equivalent values of all IR£ amounts from 1p to £250, and in whole pound amounts from £251 to £1,000. A handy IR£ to euro conversion chart is also available through the Forfás campaign.
In addition, the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland, whose remit includes providing public and consumer information, is making a euro converter available to all households in the country over the coming weeks.