Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Earlier this year, I approved €1.65 million in funding under the 2016 Dormant Accounts Action Plan for 42 social enterprise projects, to enhance their capacity to deliver services and generate traded income.

My Department also this year published the 2017 Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan which contains details of specific programmes and projects across Government which will be funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund. This Action Plan includes a number of measures to support social enterprises, including initiatives within my own Department's remit and from the Irish Prison Services.

My Department will coordinate the preparation of a Dormant Accounts Action Plan for 2018 and will invite Departments to submit proposals for inclusion in the Plan. It will be open to Departments to include in this Plan further initiatives to support social enterprises. From my own Department's perspective, I envisage that the 2018 Plan will once again include a number of measures to support the sector.

My Department is currently developing a comprehensive National Policy on Social Enterprise which will provide a framework for the development of the sector into the future. I hope to be in a position to support the implementation of this policy through a call for proposals under the Social Enterprise measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund early in 2018.