Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators who support the legislation. A service level agreement is in place to underpin the establishment of the local enterprise offices. The local enterprise offices will be supported by Enterprise Ireland's own microenterprise and small business division, which has established a centre of excellence that is responsible for developing an improved environment for small and medium-sized businesses, the businesses that are the core of the Irish economy. I do not see how that could be a bad thing; in fact, I think it is quite a progressive move. Following the dissolution of the 35 county enterprise boards and the transfer of their functions, assets and liabilities to Enterprise Ireland, the staff will still be ring-fenced and will retain their expertise and responsibility for enterprise policy and budgets. We regard this as a progressive move. We see the establishment of a first-stop shop for entrepreneurs, existing small business owners or micro-businesses as a positive step forward. That it is underpinned by a service level agreement, ultimately with Enterprise Ireland, gives it a very firm foundation.