Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his colleagues, who are very welcome to the committee. I am quite happy that LEOs will be part of local government on foot of the realignment of the local partnerships. People on the ground are often very confused about where to go to get help. Having a one-stop shop will be of great benefit to the client. Supporting the client is paramount. I am delighted that the centre of excellence, which will be in charge of the training of the staff in the LEOs, will be managed by Enterprise Ireland. It has a good record and service in this regard.

I am glad the Minister mentioned mentoring. Since he brought it up, I will ask a question on it. Does he envisage that mentoring will still be provided in the current system? Will there be a stand-alone network of mentors feeding into the various agencies and sectors? Will people who are not part of the LEOs be able to gain access to mentoring under a State system? If so, how will the process work?

What I am really trying to figure out is what will be different for the client in this experience. When the client seeks a service, will it be a question of funding or the delivery of training? What kind of training will be delivered? Will it continue according to the current model? What will be different in terms of supporting the client?

While I appreciate that resources may not be available, will it be possible to have a relationship-management approach whereby we could bring the people in the local enterprise offices into the field to meet clients and businesses to determine their needs and help them?