Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans for implementing the recommendations of the Entrepreneurship Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2963/14]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the Entrepreneurship Forum chaired by Mr. Sean O'Sullivan was leaked to the Irish Independent at the beginning of the year. I presume the Minister will be hosting some type of singing and dancing event to officially launch what has been already leaked. Perhaps the Taoiseach who is on his annual jaunt to Davos will come up with some gem while there. Does the Minister intend to implement the forum's report which contains some interesting and challenging recommendations around the taxation treatment of entrepreneurs, in particular. Has he had an opportunity to consider that matter and engaged with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, on how tax entrepreneurs are taxed here and how that model could be changed. I accept that it is too soon to be talking about budgets, but does the Minister have a timeline for implementation of the report?

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The report will be launched today. It is a good document which contains inputs, ideas and recommendations which will make a valuable contribution to the development of the Government's national entrepreneurship policy statement which the Minister will shortly bring to the Government for consideration and approval. Many of the forum's recommendations fall within the responsibility of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and will be immediately assessed. Some of the 69 recommendations contained in the report are good. Others fall within the remit of other Departments. The Minister is consulting the Ministers concerned.

A feasibility and operational assessment is required to facilitate informed decision-making on the recommendations and their suitability for inclusion in the forthcoming national entrepreneurship policy statement. The Action Plan for Jobs 2013 is about entrepreneurship, in respect of which new local enterprise offices, LEO, are being established. Many of the recommendations, including those in relation to mentoring pools of talent, encouragement of developments in third level colleges and collaboration, are well suited to the roll-out of the local enterprise offices in each county. Many of these recommendations will not impact financially on the State and will be assessed by the Minister.

I thank Mr. Sean O'Sullivan and the forum for their outstanding report. Many of its recommendations which have been arrived at from a thinking outside the box perspective apply across government and will be closely monitored and assessed. Those that can be implemented will be implemented quickly.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I join the Minister of State in thanking Mr. Sean O'Sullivan for his work. Some of the recommendations leaked include that the sharing of maternity leave between partners be allowed, an issue on which Fianna Fáil brought forward a Bill last year which was voted down by the Government; the tightening of rules around banks using personal guarantees in lending, which I am sure everybody would welcome, given what has happened during the past few years; and that Ireland become a European trade hub for China. A number of projects in this regard have been floating around for a number of years. This is the type of agenda that could be driven forward relatively quickly. Relevant to this is whether the Department has the necessary resources in China. Is there a timeline for delivery of the recommendations contained in the report? It would be a shame if the recommendations made by someone with the expertise of Mr. O'Sullivan and his team on mentoring, an issue on which Deputy Áine Collins has done a great deal of work, and the involvement of unemployed persons entrepreneurship were not implemented.

Will there be a timeline for delivery? This time next year will we be able to discuss exactly what has been done?

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Action Plan for Jobs is driven by the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and the Taoiseach, and all of the recommendations are dealt with each year. The new action plan to be announced shortly will incorporate several very effective ideas. As the report of the entrepreneurship forum highlights, the development of entrepreneurs in Ireland is not confined to the State's support system. Many ideas emerge outside of the State's management structures. Everybody has a role to play in nurturing, connecting, inspiring, celebrating and expanding our entrepreneurship policy and in developing solutions to the challenges of creating a truly entrepreneurial Ireland. Collaboration is necessary among all stakeholders in the public sector, industry and representative bodies.

The action plan is driven by the entrepreneurship budget, which the Minister introduced to encourage enterprise. The new revolution in business and the backbone of this economy are small companies. Yesterday I visited the National College of Art and Design, where I met a number of bright young people with great new ideas. They were entrepreneurial in every sense. The real action by this Government is to encourage enterprise. Enterprise Ireland, the local enterprise offices and all the State bodies under the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation are focused on supporting high potential start-up companies.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I share the Minister of State's objective but the challenge for small Irish companies is funding. The funding for county enterprise boards in 2013 was €18 million, while IDA client companies received €89 million. That €89 million is well spent but the figure will have to be considerably higher if we want to see more companies of the type that the Minister of State encountered yesterday. I followed his Twitter feed as he described several very innovative companies. They will be starved of resources, however. The local enterprise offices are the most anticipated development since I do not know when but, while I know the Minister of State is personally committed to ensuring they will deliver, when we revisit the issue this time next year I hope that some of the recommendations from the entrepreneurship forum that do not require legislative change will have been implemented without delay as a statement of intent on the part of the Government that it is taking the report and, more important, the people who compiled it seriously. It could, for example, accept our proposal on shared paternity leave.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is taking on board the forum's key recommendations and he will carefully assess the actions required by his Department before he brings them to the Government advisory group on small business. The new Action Plan for Jobs already incorporates some of these recommendations and we are getting there year by year. I thank Sean O'Sullivan for his work on coming up with good ideas that do not cost large sums of money and attract the involvement of business people. For example, successful business people could mentor those who are starting up companies. By this means people can give something back to the State. I am very impressed by the 69 recommendations in the report. All of them will be assessed and immediate action will be taken in respect of some of them.