Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not often the case that one can refer to instances where Government charges are actually falling. In that context, I welcome the fact that the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, announced significant reductions in the charges associated with co-operatives and those imposed by the Registrar of Friendly Societies. The cost of registering a new co-op has been reduced by up to 58%, while that relating to changing the name of a co-op has been reduced by 44%. The Minister is on the right track in this area but I urge him to accelerate the process of reducing the level of red tape, licensing rules and regulations because we want to make it easy for businesses to operate in this country. The Minister has some very good and innovative ideas and I urge him to move the process forward.

Will the Leader facilitate a debate on workers' co-operatives in the near future? As Senator White will attest, the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation recently received a very interesting presentation from people involved with workers' co-operatives. These co-operatives have huge potential in the context of assisting with the creation of badly needed employment, particularly as those who run them have novel and innovative ideas. We should hold a full debate on co-operatives in the near future. I am sure other Members will support me in my request in this regard.