Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. My attention had been drawn to an inadequacy in this respect in Kildare and I note that there is a means whereby funds can be moved from one place to the another. It appears obvious that the success rate of start-ups is very much predicated on the amount of effort spent on business planning and feasibility studies before the enterprise is up and running. If we are to encourage people to move from welfare to self-employment - in the micro-enterprise sector an enterprise can have up to ten employees - it is essential to monitor the position to ensure there is sufficient funding and that such funding is stable at the very basic level. There is a saving on both sides if people can avail of the system and move from welfare to this sector and in many enterprises that is case. I will carefully study the content of the Minister of State's long reply.

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