TÁNAISTE ANNOUNCES INITIATIVES ON SMALL ENTERPRISE SUPPORTS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

- Scope of CEB supports broadened -- National Entrepreneurship Strategy on the way -- Small Business Forum to be reconvened -

Addressing the annual conference of the Small Firms Association in Dublin Castle today (Tuesday, 29 September 2009), the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms. Mary Coughlan, T.D., has announced new initiatives aimed at supporting the development of new businesses and fostering an entrepreneurial culture in Ireland.

The Tánaiste announced that she has approved a significant broadening of the financial supports that the County and City Enterprise Boards can offer their client businesses. The effect of the move is to broaden the scope of the start up and development costs that can be assisted. As a result of these changes, supports will now be available for all legitimate business costs directly attributable to starting a new business, or growing and developing a business, rather than being restricted to asset acquisition.

The Tánaiste said that the changes would align CEB supports more closely with those of the other enterprise support agencies and ensure a consistency in approach. She said that, while the change would not affect the existing criteria governing client eligibility for grant support, the move would allow much greater flexibility in how the CEBs support start-up and small growing enterprises.

The Tánaiste also announced to the audience of entrepreneurs and small business owners that she intended over the coming months to bring forward a National Entrepreneurship Strategy. This, she said, would ensure that the range of existing initiatives aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship are incorporated in a cohesive and coordinated approach to drive increased entrepreneurial activity in our communities. She also confirmed that she intended that the strategy would broaden the degree of participation by groups currently under-represented in business, such as women entrepreneurs and our immigrant community.

The Tánaiste said that there are many people across Ireland with great business ideas and that she wanted to see that they are given every encouragement and support to take the necessary steps in the their realisation. She said that in her role as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, she wanted to take every possible step to foster a “can-do” business attitude and a healthy entrepreneurial culture across Ireland. She said that nurturing the development of such a culture shift, together with providing continued support for innovative thinking through the enterprise agencies, would be central to the development of a smart economy in the years ahead.

Acknowledging the work of the Small Firms Association in representing small businesses across the country, the Tánaiste also confirmed that she intended to re-convene the Small Business Forum to gain its assessment and views on the impact of the current economic situation on the needs of the sector as it positions for recovery. She said that its fixed agenda would also consider the new arrangements now necessary for ongoing structured dialogue between policy makers and stakeholders in the sector to ensure a continued common understanding of all the issues and the potential means of address.

ENDS/ETE 2116