Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

A customer service review is being undertaken with LEOs. The Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, and I are determined to ensure that those metrics are very strong. We have come from a position of massively high unemployment and our aim is to get unemployment under 10% by the end of the year with a view to moving towards full employment. As such, there is an understanding across the agencies in the system that a strong effort is required to encourage people to move from welfare to work, including opportunities for people to establish their own businesses. That data is very important. It is not something I have at my fingertips at the moment, but to the best of my knowledge it is available across the system. Deputy Tóibín is absolutely right that we need to have proper metrics where we are trying to crack a problem. I take that on board. However, there are a range of programmes across the country that are designed to bring people from welfare into a position in which they are setting up their own businesses. For example, I am familiar in my own constituency with the IgnYte programme, which is supported by the Department of Social Protection and my own Department and operated by a local education development agency working with The Mill enterprise centre in Drogheda. The programme aims to encourage people to set up their own businesses when they are moving from welfare to work.

A lot of this is about changing the culture and people's expectations of themselves. Everyone can start up a business and there should not be any socioeconomic barriers to doing so. We are all determined to ensure that any barriers are removed.

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