Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for elucidating. She is absolutely right and I understand what she is saying. Perhaps it is something at which the Government might need to look. It strikes me that for those involved in small or medium enterprises, Sparkasse banks would make a significant difference in some circumstances. It is certainly relevant, but I take the point made.

I will talk about worker co-ops. The Department stresses the importance of growing indigenous enterprises. Worker co-ops account for a significant percentage of the economies of EU member states. In Sweden they account for 13% of GNP; in Switzerland, 16%; and in Finland, a whopping 21%. In recent years countries such as France, Italy and Spain have all moved to either introduce or strengthen their worker co-operative legislation. It seems to be an area that has been neglected. It is one at which the committee is hoping to look later in the year. I have a number of questions about the issue. What emphasis is the Department placing on the development of co-operatives, in particular worker co-operatives? Does it intend to introduce legislation to recognise worker co-operatives as a distinct legal entity? What knowledge is available within Enterprise Ireland of worker co-operatives? Is it a form of enterprise that is being promoted in the Department? Has it considered the potential advantages of re-establishing the co-operative development unit in order to develop a co-operative network? It strikes me that we seem to be miles behind the rest of Europe. We know that this is a sector that works really well across Europe. I am wondering at what the Department is looking in developing the sector.