Mr. Eamonn Fitzgerald:

A point that often arises when we talk about social entrepreneurship and social enterprise is letting the State off the hook in the provision of services. The entrepreneurs Social Entrepreneurs Ireland supports and the hundreds who apply to us every year are either responding to a new problem that has emerged - they have the luxury of being quite flexible, adaptable and innovative and can react very quickly to that - or alternatively they are introducing an new way of tackling a problem. So the State might be doing it a certain way and they have discovered efficiencies and are implementing those as a proof of concept. They are unique in the sense that ultimate success for them is not having a job particularly. Most of them have the beauty of being quite flexible and innovative, and they certainly fill that gap. One would struggle to find many who are trying to take some of the responsibility away from the State - it is really filling that gap in between. That is one of the huge benefits to the sector.