Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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205. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the funding options available to an existing social enterprise to expand their business. [17407/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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A number of Government Departments are engaged with the Social Enterprise sector and the State currently provides substantial funding to Social Enterprises through a range of programmes and schemes.

Many of these schemes are implemented through the nationwide network of Local Development Companies and Agencies, including the Community Services Programme, Community Employment Schemes, the Social Inclusion Community Development Programme, the Wage Subsidy Scheme for the employment of people with disabilities, public sector contracts through the HSE, and the Social Finance Foundation.

In relation to my own Department there are a number of programmes that may be in a position to assist.

The Dormant Accounts fund provides support for the development of social enterprises that have the capacity to deliver local, sustainable jobs and which contribute to community gain in disadvantaged areas/for economically and socially disadvantaged persons.

The Social Enterprise measure will be administered on behalf of my Department by Pobal and it is proposed that there will be an open application process before the end of the year.

My Department is currently finalising implementation arrangements for the delivery of the LEADER elements of the EU co-funded Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and I expect the programme to be open for applications in most areas before the end of the summer.