Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the actions he will take to promote the use of co-operatives in order that they reach their full potential; if his attention has been drawn to the fact of the important role that the co-operative model has played in our economy. [21159/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The co-operative model is one of a number of legal options that are available to those considering establishing themselves in business, and the different models have their own distinct characteristics. It is of course up to each individual operation to choose the model that best suits the nature of the business and the desired ethos of the entity.

Insofar as the direct promotion of co-operatives is concerned, I believe that this is properly a matter for the co-operative movement, and indeed it is ably done by the three main umbrella groups for co-operatives: the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) – which developed predominantly in the dairy industry but has branched out to the wider food, agribusiness and rural sectors in Ireland; the National Association of Building Co-operatives (NABCO), which deals with housing co-operatives; and the National Federation of Group Water Schemes (NFGWS), which deals with group water schemes.

The co-operative sector in Ireland is strong and the consultation paper issued by my Department on the legislation that governs the majority of co-operatives in Ireland, the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts, recognised the importance of co-operative societies and organisations to the economic and social fabric of Ireland over the last century.

Arising out of this consultation process I recently announced that I had obtained approval from Government for the drafting of a Bill that will address a range of issues raised by the sector. I hope to publish the Draft Bill early next year. I expect that the amendments I am proposing will make the co-operative model more attractive for those wishing to use it.

By introducing these legislative changes for co-operatives, the Government is recognising the value of the co-operative business model to our economy, particularly at the present time.