Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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251. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps he will take to approve the funding for the new business development programme for community enterprise centres as this programme is important to enable community enterprise centres to continue to make a significant impact on job creation, as they have done in the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46327/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand from Enterprise Ireland that since the launch of the first Community Enterprise Centre scheme in 1989, Enterprise Ireland has approved €64 million for the development of Community Enterprise Centres in towns and villages across the country. There are currently 117 such centres across the country.   In addition, Enterprise Ireland provided funding of €2 million to support the recruitment of 46 Business Development Managers.

The success levels, occupancy levels and sustainability of jobs at the Centres varies and therefore I have asked Enterprise Ireland to review the operations of the Community Enterprise Centres in the context of regional enterprise development and how the Community Enterprise Centres and the Local Enterprise Offices might work more closely in support of business start-ups before giving further consideration to the matter.

There are a number of dimensions to this issue such as the role of other players such as the Local Authorities, private sector involvement and the level of supply and demand for business space in the locality.

On a wider level, the Action Plan for Jobs 2014 includes a commitment to develop a framework for Regional Enterprise Strategies that will enable us to better integrate the efforts of the enterprise development agencies and other regional stakeholders, including Community Enterprise Centres, in supporting enterprise growth and jobs in the regions. While there is already a significant amount of practical cooperation taking place at local and regional levels between many public bodies, developing a framework in which cooperation can be improved is timely.

I have been actively working on a template for the development of Regional Enterprise Strategies and it is my intention that this framework will be applied initially on a pilot basis to produce action-oriented plans to support enterprise growth and jobs in the Midlands region and the South East region. These pilots will inform any adaptations that might need to be made prior to the framework being applied to other regions. I fully expect that the existing network of Community Enterprise Centres will have a role to play in the creation and implementation of enterprise strategies in their regions.