Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Enterprise Ireland has a mandate that is focused on export oriented companies. The skill we bring in for these companies, for example, is in people who have the capacity to enter new markets. The scheme is aimed predominantly at export oriented companies. We have large numbers of companies with great growth capacity and these are well spread throughout the regions, in the areas of food, engineering, manufacturing and so on. These are the backbone of our industrial base and this is a gap that needs to be filled. I believe the view of manufacturing, which has been dismissive in recent years, has been misplaced. There are opportunities now as Ireland is more competitive. This is a fund that will help bridge a gap which has been well identified by research. I am optimistic this scheme will hit its target and we will closely monitor it. I accept the points made and there will be initiatives to improve information flow. I have met with both the banks and there will be a communications initiative around the various financial options for SMEs.

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