Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A considerable number spin-off jobs and companies will be associated with this big enterprise development. Have we started to work on the potential for spin-off companies? Mr. Hayes referred to the potential for cluster development in that location and the possibility of establishing an enterprise park. When a major company comes into an area we should immediately target that area for spin-off companies, rather than wait for something to happen.

I was a member of a county enterprise board and I am very much in favour of them. They were able to target small start-up companies and people who had an interest in setting up their own businesses. I am worried that we may lose the common touch of the county enterprise boards and their relationship with local people who want to start up small businesses. Enterprise Ireland is focused on exports, as the witnesses have said several times. Many small start-up businesses are focused on their locality and often on supplying the large enterprise developments we have been talking about, such as Kerry. I am a little concerned about that.

Could Mr. Richard Murphy tell us the timeframe for moving from county enterprise boards to local enterprise offices? This question was asked but we did not get a clear answer. Can we be sure local enterprise offices will be in place? I am getting calls from staff of county enterprise boards asking what exactly is happening.

I am fearful of local enterprise offices being associated with county councils. In 1997 or 1998, Kildare County Council set up a business park in Kilcullen. Many people were interested in coming on board but because of the inefficiency and lack of experience of the individuals involved, only one company set up in the business park. The rest of the park is lying idle. County councils do not have experience in this area. I am nervous of the future with regard to them.

County enterprise boards are involved in many projects. I am thinking of school entrepreneurships, for example. In County Kildare, a small company set up by a young school pupil has gone international. Many schools in County Kildare have become involved in this enterprise competition. I would hate to see a programme like this being lost because funding to local enterprise offices was focused on setting up companies. School pupils are the key people. Secondary school pupils may even be too old. If children are given the entrepreneurial roadmap at primary level, we will have a real chance of seeing them become entrepreneurs later on.

Is there any cross training between Enterprise Ireland and county enterprise boards? County enterprise boards run excellent training courses for people who start up businesses. I hope that will continue and link with the experience of Enterprise Ireland which deals with companies at a different level, those with more than ten employees. The work of Enterprise Ireland could be micro-managed down to a smaller level.

The joint committee is planning to put together a publication showing what is available to people who want to start up businesses. Last Thursday evening, I knocked on a constituent's door and he asked me what was available in this regard. He told me my own website had more information than he could get from Enterprise Ireland. That is key. When someone clicks onto a web page they want to know exactly what is available, what they are entitled to and what they can get. Information should be made as simple as possible so that a small sheep farmer like myself can understand it.