John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

Much work has been done in advance of the decision to restructure and reposition the enterprise support model. The new structure of local enterprise office will build on the significant work done by county enterprise boards, as the Minister, Deputy Bruton, stated, to date. Therefore, the dissolution of county enterprise boards in their current legal format is not an end in itself and will be done in conjunction with the establishment of the creation of a new micro-enterprise and small business unit within Enterprise Ireland that will work with local authorities to establish a local enterprise office in each local authority.

The aim of the proposal is not just about abolition or dissolution, rather it is about developing and enhancing the State services available to small businesses at local level by delivering a one-stop shop and offering a seamless service for small companies to take up the wider range of Enterprise Ireland programmes for companies with rapid growth potential, which we saw in the Mansion House today.

The proposal will also simplify structures and enlist local authorities into more active roles in small business support and local economic development by dealing with the stacked costs of local government such as rates or water charges. It will establish a more integrated network between local and national enterprise supports which will ensure high standards are uniformly delivered and small business development is supported by appropriate benchmarking within Enterprise Ireland.

Immediate expected Exchequer savings will be modest and over a three to five year period will be in the order of €750,000. There will be significant new benefits for the micro sector, which is the most important aspect. The benefits and job potential of the new one stop shop for the small business sector are anticipated over time from the enhanced enterprise support model. There will be a new configuration of services at local level which will be very beneficial.

See this speech in context