Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress made on the implementation of the Report of the Small Business Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32207/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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When I published the report of the Small Business Forum earlier this year, I indicated that I was accepting, in general, the report's recommendations in so far as they related to my own areas of responsibility and that I would be pursuing the implementation of the other recommendations with my colleagues in Government who had responsibility for the relevant areas.

In so far as the recommendations relating to my area are concerned, these are being vigorously pursued by my Department and the most urgent of them are already on their way to implementation. For example, the recommendation from the Forum to increase the turnover threshold above which businesses are required to be audited from €1.5 million to the EU limit of €7.3 million, has been taken on board and provision to give effect to it has been included in the new Companies Bill which is currently before the Oireachtas.

Good progress has also been made in relation to the implementation of recommendations in respect of the introduction of an Innovation Vouchers scheme, a scheme for Knowledge Acquisition Grants and a programme of Information and Communications Technology Audits.

I also indicated, when publishing the Forum report, that I was accepting their recommendation that the Forum itself should continue in existence to serve as an implementation body to monitor progress of implementation of the various recommendations. This will, in my view, help to ensure that there is sustained and timely follow though in terms of implementation of each of the recommendations contained in the report.