Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he expects to move agencies such as community employment and enterprise supports into local government. [37554/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My Department is engaging with local authorities in order to develop a new sectoral strategy to promote employment and support local enterprise by local government in a number of areas. This includes the identification and dissemination of best practice in relation to local enterprise and business support arrangements.

Local authorities play a central role in supporting economic development and enterprise at local level. They do this in a number of ways, including through their capital and current budgets, economic planning and development and the provision of goods and services.

Business Support Units (or similar arrangements) have been put in place in all county and city councils. These Units provide a dedicated one-stop-shop approach for businesses in areas such as planning and water services. They also refer businesses to appropriate enterprise support and development bodies. In addition, the local government led County/City Development Boards are engaged in economic development and the promotion of enterprise in their areas, and the restructuring of County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) is under consideration by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

In parallel to this work, the Government has committed to reviewing the delivery of local and community development functions at local level by exploring options to improve the alignment of these functions with those of local government. For this reason, I have established a high level Steering Group to advise me on options for improved alignment between local and community development and local government. The Steering Group has been tasked with examining the scope for greater synergy between the sectors with a view to improving, and achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness in, the delivery of those services; this includes services that are focussed on enterprise and employment support.

I consider that local government, with its democratic mandate, can work in partnership with effective local development structures to deliver efficient, sustainable, joined-up and easy to access services. I anticipate that the Steering Group will present its final report to me by end January, 2012.