Ms Una Lavelle:

The irony of our being here is that many of us started out in labour activation organisations that happened to find themselves in what is now called the circular economy. Therefore, some of us, although not all, are in the circular economy by default. I do not know the particulars of Cycle Sense, but my organisation was set up to create training and employment opportunities. I am in Clondalkin, which consistently had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country throughout economic highs and lows. Even though our company is a recycling company, our main objective is to be available to create training and employment opportunities, and we do that through the management of electrical and electronic equipment waste. Anything with a plug or a battery, we will take it.

I am one of the founding members of CRNI. We have always wanted to engage in reuse. Our organisation was more engaged in reuse activities ten or 12 years ago than it is now. Unfortunately, that is one of the unintended consequences of regulation. Ten years ago, we were sending a tonne and a half of sewing machines to Tanzania every year to be de-electrified and made into treadle or foot-pedal sewing machines. We did that with Tools for Solidarity in Northern Ireland. However, with the waste transfer regulations, we could no longer do it without bureaucracy that would have been overwhelming for such a small organisation. We just did not have the capacity to continue to provide the appliances.

We also used to dismantle large household appliances. In south Dublin, every community school and community garden would have had parts of our appliances as garden containers. Again, owing to unintended consequences of regulation, we can no longer dismantle the appliances. We no longer physically recycle them ourselves; they are all corralled into one company in the midlands because the cost of implementing the European standards required to continue doing the work ourselves would have been more than we were making on the sale of metals and parts.

That is an example of just one small social enterprise. The community and enterprise elements have to be of equal measure. In just 12 months, we have seen two very prominent social enterprises in Ireland close their doors because the community and enterprise elements became unbalanced. Many of us start because what is done is a great thing to do, and the enterprise and finance aspects are not as focused on or supported as the community aspect. However, if the community aspect overtakes the finance aspect, then the organisation is on a road to collapse.

In many community enterprises which we represent, we have a fine balancing act of core funding and the community services programme, which Ms Downey mentioned. At the moment, that is the platinum standard. It is what every organisation dreams about having if they do not have it. It is really the only show in town at the minute.