Finian McGrath
Ceist:3Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation his plans to assist small businesses on the northside of Dublin in 2012 and 2013. [27558/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 7 June 2012
Ceisteanna (3)
Freagraí ó Béal (3 píosaí cainte)
I have met the representatives of small businesses in north Dublin, including Drumcondra and Clontarf, and recently held a public meeting with small businesses across the north side to discuss the action plan for jobs. The concerns raised included access to finance, competitiveness of costs, prompt payments, VAT thresholds, enterprise supports, regulatory burdens, employer costs and sectoral opportunities. The action plan for jobs addresses many of these concerns with specific initiatives. They are in the course of implementation and will benefit small businesses on the north side of Dublin.
A key measure in the action plan for jobs is to facilitate the development by Dublin City University, DCU, of the vacant former Enterprise Ireland site in Glasnevin into an internationally recognised innovation campus, involving a partnership of education and research institutions, enterprises and the semi-State sector. Its focus will be on research active clean tech firms. The agencies under my Department are also rolling out their plans of support for businesses on the north side of Dublin. Enterprise Ireland is actively promoting entrepreneurship in Dublin and provides a range of enterprise programmes and other initiatives for approximately 500 companies on the north side to ensure emerging technologies and business ideas with export potential are supported to become a commercial reality.
In February Enterprise Ireland launched a new community enterprise centre programme for the maintenance or establishment of a strong business development function in community enterprise centres funded by the agency. Enterprise Ireland is funding community enterprise centres on the north side of Dublin, two of which are based in Coolock and Darndale. The Dublin City Enterprise Board and Fingal County Enterprise Board support enterprise development and job creation throughout the north side of Dublin through the provision of direct and indirect assistance for small business. Hundreds of companies will benefit from start-up grants, mentoring and management development training.
We are commencing work on the action plan for jobs 2013 and will welcome submissions from business groups on the north side of Dublin.
Is the Minister aware of the mass unemployment problem on the north side of Dublin? In some areas the level of youth unemployment is 30% and there is significant emigration. Does the Minister accept that supporting small businesses plays a key role in job creation? If unemployed persons found jobs at the average industrial wage, total earnings would amount to approximately €18 billion. Does the Minister accept that not enough attention is being given to this issue? Some 436,700 people signed on in May. Spending €1 billion on infrastructure would lead to the creation of approximately 10,000 jobs. Has the Minister considered proposals in this regard? Has he considered the role played by the semi-State sector, given the fact that its considerable borrowing power offers significant job creation potential? We can grow our way out of this problem. Many talented individuals are involved in small businesses. With a little help, they could each create three to eight jobs.
I do not accept that the needs of small business are not receiving sufficient attention. In my Department the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, specialises in supporting small businesses and has been active in that regard. This is not to say the problems have been solved. Far from it, but we have access to finance and a micro-finance initiative for small businesses is being worked on, as is the loan guarantee scheme. We have tendered for a development fund which we will use for slightly larger companies which are seeking to expand. We are examining the spectrum of needs of small businesses with a view to making it easier to start up and survive. As the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Sherlock, outlined, we are seeking to make it easier for small businesses to access the public procurement process.
Like Deputy Finian McGrath, we recognise that the bulk of jobs will be created by smaller businesses, to which end we need to support them. However, some of the issues he raised go well beyond my brief. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, has established an infrastructural fund amounting to €1 billion to support opportunities in that respect. Last week NAMA stated its belief that, as a State company of a different sort, it would invest €2 billion in practical infrastructural projects during the coming years. Attention is being paid to infrastructural requirements and the need to find off-balance sheet initiatives to leverage activity in that regard. That is the thinking behind NewERA and much of the work being done by the Ministers, Deputies Brendan Howlin and Michael Noonan.