Mr. Luie McEntire:

Coming from County Longford, where the majority of small businesses got start-up funding from the enterprise boards, I am glad to say the majority of the small businesses, which may employee only ten, 15 or 20 people, are still in place as many of the big operations have gone out of business. I fully agree with what the speakers have said. The local representative is the link between the local community and the CEOs and those on the enterprise board. What is the advantage of taking the local representatives from the boards? It is stated more powers are supposed to be granted to county councillors. When one considers what happened with the VECs and health boards, one realises we have no say whatsoever.

Each of the committee members has been a local representative and knows that there was a time when one went in and personally made a case for one's constituents. Most of the time that worked because the red tape was cut through. It is the exact same in this instance. The local representative brings invaluable knowledge to those boards. If the committee members have the final say we appeal to them not to leave the local representatives off the boards.