Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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313. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when the BDM programme for community enterprise centres, CEC, will be in place; if he recognises the achievements of CECs; if there are changes to this programme envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4964/15]

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. There are currently no specific proposals to extend the Community Enterprise Centre Scheme to fund Business Development Management in 2015. The last scheme rolled out was in 2012 and 2013 when Enterprise Ireland provided funding of €2 million to support the recruitment of a total of 46 Business Development Managers.

On the wider issue of the Centres, the success levels, occupancy levels and sustainability of jobs at the Centres varies and therefore I 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.

Under the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs, my Department developed a framework for the preparation of Regional Enterprise Strategies. This framework provides a model for co-ordinated action across public bodies and other stakeholders to maximise the potential of each region to support enterprise development and jobs growth, based on the strengths and assets of the region.

The application of the template was tested in the Midlands region towards the end of 2014 and will lead to the publication and implementation of a Regional Enterprise Strategy for the Midlands in early 2015. Similar strategies for the other regions will be commenced over the course of the year, on a phased basis, and will include specific actions on the part of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, the LEOs, Údarás na Gaeltachta and other public bodies active in each region to promote enterprise growth and job creation. In this context, my Department and Enterprise Ireland will also work to explore how the Community Enterprise Centre network can best be enhanced to support regional job creation.

As part of the Action Plan for Jobs 2015, a number of Government agencies will be shortly outlining their regional enterprise plans to map out what they will do to help create new jobs across Ireland.

These Regional Enterprise Strategies seek to maximise the job potential of each region. It will provide new funding for enterprise support in the regions and seek to leverage and orient existing funds to target initiatives that enable regions to achieve their full employment potential. A significant regional fund of up to €25 million in competitive funding will be announced to support regional initiatives.