Mr. William Parnell:

Regarding groups that may have particular proposals or projects, the answer is that it depends on the nature of the project and whether it is a community-based project or a business proposal. If a group or an entrepreneur has an idea in the business sphere, the local enterprise office is the first port of call. If the local enterprise office cannot help that individual, it will certainly point him or her in the right direction, whether to the Revenue Commissioners, Enterprise Ireland or some other organisation.

As for community groups that might be looking for support for particular projects, again, the LEADER programme is a locally led model of community development. It covers a number of different themes, including enterprise and employment, environmental protection and social inclusion. Again, the best avenue to go down to find out information about LEADER or any of the other community-based programmes is the local development company. We have a list of all the contact points on our website, but if the Senator would like me to provide him with any more detail I would be happy to do so.