Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 5, subsection (3), between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following:“(d) Any arrangement under this section will be cost neutral to the local authority and will be funded by a dedicated operational budget provided by Enterprise Ireland for Local Enterprise Offices.”.

In my experience of dealing with small companies that have dealings with the county and city enterprise boards, companies that provide employment, such as small retailers, hairdressers and companies in the services area, are not entitled to any financial assistance because they do not have the potential to export. These small companies might be employing six to ten people. They are giving employment in their local area. If they are not eligible for financial support, I sincerely believe they need a mentoring service. I am dealing with a case in Swords at present on behalf of my colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien. This lady is doing very well in a hairdressing business but she desperately needs to talk over her business issues.

The situation appears to be very unbalanced. I realise the money must go to companies that have the potential to export, but I believe we should expand the mandate of the enterprise board. That is not allowed at present, unless on an ad hoc basis. I know there is pressure on resources and on the availability of money for the enterprise boards. That will be a very serious issue for the new local enterprise offices, LEOs, if they are to have money to run their businesses. I am speaking on behalf of small employers whose businesses are in the services sector and who could really increase the size of their businesses if they had mentoring. In the Fianna Fáil policy paper on promoting women entrepreneurs I pushed very ardently for encouraging two or three people to start a business together, rather than one. It is torturous starting and running a business if one is on one's own.

My heart went out to the lady I met in Swords last week. I rang Oisin Geoghegan, the chief executive of the Fingal Enterprise Board, and he very courteously came out and spoke to her. He said he would do his best personally to help the lady. It is a lovely salon that employs young people. The lady wants to set up a hairdressing academy, which would provide more skills and create employment, so he decided that he would give her a mentoring service himself. I am calling for this to be provided. I am sure the Minister of State agrees that it makes sense. There is an issue with the fact that we cannot fund companies unless they are exporting. People talk about achieving growth in the economy and we all know the only way we can do that is by having more companies that will export.