Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will outline the extent of job creation opportunities or possibilities available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2230/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not provide direct funding or grants to businesses but provides funding to a number of State Agencies, including the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) and Enterprise Ireland, through whom assistance is delivered directly to businesses. The role of Kildare County Enterprise Board as part of the network of CEBs is to develop indigenous potential and stimulate economic activity at a local level primarily through the provision of financial and technical support for the development of small and micro-enterprises.

The promoter may therefore wish to contact Kildare County Enterprise Board to discuss what options may be available to them and their proposed business venture. Kildare County Enterprise Board is located at The Woods, Clane, Co. Kildare; Phone No: 045 861707, Fax No: 045 861712: Email: Website: .

Enterprise Ireland has a wide range of programmes to address the multi-disciplinary demands of entrepreneurship and the diversity of business types. The agency supports companies to achieve productivity gains, internationalisation and export growth. It assists with research and development, management skills acquisition, market information and seed and venture capital. Full details are available from the Agency's website .

In addition to the supports and services of the state agencies under the aegis of my Department, the promoter may also wish to be made aware that the Department of Social Protection also provides assistance through various Back to Work (Enterprise) Schemes and an Employer (PRSI) Incentive Scheme. In addition and subject to certain eligibility criteria, persons returning to the workplace (having been unemployed for over a year) may be able to avail of Revenue’s Job Assist. In this regard, the promoter may wish to contact the Departments of Social Protection at www.welfare.ie and Revenue at www.revenue.ie for further information.

Finally, for more general information on developing a business in Ireland you may wish to contact the BASIS (Business Access to State Information and Services) Initiative (www.basis.ie), which is administered by my Department. The aim of the BASIS website is to deliver Government information and services to business.