Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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190. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the estimated cost of re-establishing the co-operative development unit in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29894/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I have no plans to establish a co-operative development unit within my Department at this point in time, and therefore, it is not possible to estimate the cost of setting up and running such a unit.

I can say that my Department already works to support co-operatives. The Friendly Societies and Industrial and Provident Societies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 was aimed primarily at easing the regulatory burden on co-operative societies and making it easier to start up and run a co-operative as an alternative form of enterprise organisation. It addressed particular problems that were identified in the co-operative sector and helps to ensure this model thrives and grows to its potential to promote appreciation of the co-operative as a form of enterprise.

My Department supports co-operatives in the same way as we support other enterprises. The co-operative model is one of a number of legal options that are available to those considering establishing themselves in business and the different models have their own distinct characteristics. It is of course a matter for each individual operation to choose the model that best suits the nature of the business and the desired ethos of the entity.

My Department provides a full range of enterprise supports for new and existing businesses, primarily through its development Agencies, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. I would direct the Deputy to my Department's website: . This webpage provides links to a number of useful resources including the Supporting SMEs online tool which helps direct SMEs to relevant Government supports (the tool contains over 170 supports).