Speaking on the Finance Bill today (Wednesday, 15th February 2012) in the Dáil, Fine Gael Cork South Central Deputy, Jerry Buttimer, said the pro-business approach being adopted by the Government shows its commitments to prioritising jobs and encouraging business.
 
“From day one, the Government recognised that ‘the big challenge for Ireland is to develop a strategy that will allow job growth and sustainable enterprise’, as stated in the Programme for Government. The Finance Bill, together with the Action Pan on Jobs, announced this week, chart a clear way forward to achieving that end.
 
“The key to our recovery is job creation. By putting measures in place to support business by targeting small and medium-sized enterprises and foreign direct investment we can create opportunities for growth and jobs.  
 
“Reforms to the R&D tax credits now mean that credits can be used to reward and incentivise employees. SMEs can also contract out some of their R&D work and retain the full benefit of the available tax credits which will help propel Ireland forward in terms of innovation.
 
“Moves to entice expertise from overseas to Ireland, while encouraging Irish companies to put people on the ground in emerging international markets, will help to grow exports and enhance employment opportunities at home. The BRIC countries have significant growth potential and the Foreign Earnings Deduction will act as a reward for Irish companies who take on the risk of exploring the opportunities for growth in these new markets.  
 
“The Special Assignee Relief Programme will allow developing SMEs to assign employees to these new foreign markets for between one and five years to establish vital trade links. And provision has been made in the Finance Bill to provide for tax relief on income for skilled executives coming to Ireland to work in research. Estimates are that initially between 80 and 100 people might avail of this incentive, each creating between 30 and 50 jobs.
 
“In its attempt to have a jobs-led recovery the Government is demonstrating creative thinking and ambition.  The Government recognises the difficulties facing families today and is working to provide an environment where we can grow our way to recovery. The initiatives being adopted by the Government, in the terms of the Jobs Initiative, the Action Plan on Jobs and Pathways to Work will enable the Government to create 100,000 new jobs by 2016, getting our people off the dole and back to work.”
 
Ends

Posted under Economic, Employment, National Work

 
The Action Plan on Jobs includes recommendations from the Advisory Group for Small Business Report The Voice of Small Business:
 

• Address the credit needs of small business as a matter of priority
• Implement the Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme
• Implement Micro Finance Fund
• Labour Markets Cost and Flexibility
• Audit and review multiplicity of Licences required by businesses
• Develop public sector supply chain access opportunities for small businesses
• Develop and implement a new model for procuring innovation within the public sector that facilitates effective engagement with small firms
• Make available an official notice regarding 15 Day Prompt Payments Rule
• Develop a Voluntary Code of Conduct on Payments (Private Sector)
• Develop a one page guide encouraging small businesses to ask for help
• Allocate funding for SME management development networks
• Advance the commitment to provide for a new structured and non-judicial debt settlement and enforcement system reflecting the needs of small business / owner managers 

Additional Small Business Actions in the Action Plan for Jobs include:

• New ‘One Stop Shop’ Micro-Enterprise Support Structure
• Corporation Tax Exemption
• New Community Enterprise Development Programme
• New HPSU / Inward Entrepreneur / Spin Out Targets
• Pilot Innovation Graduates Programme
• Competitive Start-Up Fund
• New Women-in-Business Start-Up Drive
• Improved legal environment
• Examine options for extending benefit to the self-employed
   
   

Posted under Economic, Employment, National Work

As part of the Action Plan for Jobs the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, TD, has announced an extensive reform package for local government.  As part of those reforms, local government will have an enhanced role in economic development and enterprise support, the establishment of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) provides for that service delivery.
 
Local government will play an active role on implementing the Action Plan for Jobs.  This will include development of a new sectoral strategy to promote employment and support local enterprise through the following measures:
 
• Local enterprise and business support arrangements;
• Procurement support;
• Local development and community based initiatives;
• The Green Economy;
• Employment support schemes.  Local authorities will be also become the lead provider of micro-enterprise supports locally.
 
The new “one-stop-shop” micro enterprise support structure will be achieved through the dissolution of the existing CEBs and the creation of a new Micro Enterprise and Small Business Unit in Enterprise Ireland (EI) that will work with Local Authorities to establish a new network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in each Local Authority.
 
The LEOs will be mandated to provide a range of supports and services to all local micro enterprises who seek such supports. Essentially, the LEOs will carry out the combined work of the CEBs and the Business Support Units of the Local Authorities.
 
The new LEOs will offer:
 
• Local enterprise and business support arrangements;
• Local business advisory services (licensing, regulation, planning, etc);
• Information and support for accessing the local procurement process;
• Close coupling to NEES (National Employment and Entitlements Service) /SOLAS (Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanunaigh agus Scileanna) services (referrals, access to training/development/recruitment);
• Access to micro-business supports/incentives (finance, innovation, marketing, mentoring, management development); and
• Progression for high-growth companies to appropriate EI supports.

Posted under Economic, Employment, National Work