Ms Paula Fitzsimons:

I very much appreciated Deputy Martin Kenny's comment about ACORNS because I truly believe in it and think it is a great initiative. The Deputy asked whether it is just six months and the initial pilot was developed over six months. It is good to have a beginning, middle and end because the outputs can be measured but it has grown like a snowball. There were 48 participants on the pilot and now 160 people are actively engaged with ACORNS. The Department has allowed us to develop this community. Once one has been through a cycle, one can be held to do further development, go into the community, go to topic-based workshops or find other round tables to get involved in. It is ongoing but we always measure over six months.

Our bureaucracy is limited because we are small. People can post in applications, email or fill them in over the phone. We judge people on a few pieces of paper and that works very well. I would say we get it right 98% of the time. We ask where the people are now, where they would like to be, what are their barriers, how they think we can help them and what for them, not for anybody else, constitutes success.

As for the supports available, Microfinance Ireland is here and I compliment it because from the beginning we felt it would be important for people to be helped navigate the quagmire of what is available. We developed a booklet of available supports highlighting the information, advice, mentoring and networks provided by local enterprise offices, LEOs, LEADER and Enterprise Ireland, among others. We then decided that it is much better to have people come and talk to us besides having information available online or in a booklet. For each ACORNS cohort that comes in we invite the LEOs, Enterprise Ireland, Microfinance Ireland and the Credit Review Office and they explain to people what they can do individually. Those attending have the opportunity to talk to them afterwards. Then they feel that they have a personal connection and if they have a problem they can talk, for example, to Ms Deirdre Parkinson who has come to us. We find that works particularly well.

Our ethos is built on volunteerism. The Deputy asked what are the three things we would like. We would like to be allowed to do what we do in spades because it is making a difference. The individuals going through ACORNS have become advocates, role models, ambassadors and they are making a difference on the ground. When we ask them what stops them setting up they mention issues that affect all entrepreneurs, male and female, such as marketing, how to identify customers and how best to finance the business. These are the types of issue we see all the time. If we can continue with grassroots initiatives they will make a real difference. The Austrians and the Scots have been on to us to know if this is transferable and whether they can do it in other countries. Certainly they can. It is terrific for Ireland that we are leading from the front by being innovative and our initiative is making a real difference to those in rural Ireland.