I am delighted to be invited here today to officially open these new offices of the Laois County Enterprise Board. As one of the 35 City and County Enterprise Boards, the Laois Board was established to develop indigenous potential and to stimulate economic activity at local level, primarily through the provision of both financial and technical support for the development of small enterprises. Their objective and indeed the practice is to provide a structured response to the gap which had been identified some years ago in the range of support services for small enterprises.

The Boards are supported under the Local Enterprise Sub-Programme of the Operational Programme for Local Urban and Rural Development, 1994-99. The primary objective of the Sub-Programme is to provide European Union support for the range of support services provided by the Boards to small and micro-enterprises. These services entail a wide range of activities, including promoting an enterprise culture and the provision of advice, information, counselling and management development training services to small business. Between 1993 and the end of 1998, over 9,900 projects were approved for grant assistance by the Boards, throughout the country. In the same period, grants worth almost £82m. have been approved by the Boards, of which nearly £60m. have been paid to project promoters.

The Laois Board has fully played its part in this success story. Over 240 projects worth over £2 million have been approved for assistance up to the end of last year. In the same period, 538 full time and 42 part-time jobs have been financially supported by the Board. For this they deserve our heartiest congratulations. Many more businesses are pursuing appropriate competitive strategies with the guidance and advice of the Board. Over one hundred and thirty companies have participated in European Social Funded training courses exceeding two hundred hours in Information Technology skills development for enterprises, with a further thirty places to be made available throughout 1999.

The achievements of the County Enterprise Boards have made a major impact on small business creation, and have demonstrated their capacity to add real value to local economic development. However, the key issue, namely the sustainability of the jobs created, will ultimately determine the success or failure of the County Enterprise initiative.

Unfortunately, Laois has suffered substantial job haemorrhages in recent months with the loss of fifty jobs in C&M Portlaoise just before Christmas, and the expected two hundred and fifty six full time and eighty part time redundancies resulting from the closure of Avon, Arlington, Portarlington, next month. These are challenging times for Laois. The Government's commitment to meeting such challenges and secure investment has been reflected in the creation of a Laois Jobs Task Force , whose members include two directors, Mr Michael MacCaughey of Tretorn Ltd. and Mr John Curtain of SIAC Butler's Steel Ltd. and the Chief Officer of Laois County Enterprise Board, Mrs Maria Callinan.

As the business world in general struggles with the challenges of globalisation, deregulation, new technology and market swings, there is no doubt that success depends on versatility and the ability to manoeuvre within ever changing markets. Companies must pursue competitive advantage through differentiation, technology, reputation, consistency and innovation. The Laois County Enterprise Board is only too anxious to help local businesses and companies.

With the support of the Small Business Operational Programme our Department has been active in identifying areas where it can encourage entrepreneurship and improve the knowledge base of those people starting, or thinking of starting a business venture. Last year my government colleague An Tánaiste, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Mary Harney T.D., launched "Starting Your Own Business", a new guide which is helping to demystify the process of starting a business.

I am pleased to announce today that Laois County Enterprise Board has kindly offered to host a seminar on the evening of April 14th next in the Killeshin Hotel here in Portlaoise. Those of you who can make it should put that date in your diary now. As well as hearing good advice and guidance on starting a business, you will also receive a free copy of "Starting Your Own Business".

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the commitment and energy of Anne Flynn as Chairperson, and to her predecessor Michael O'Connor, and of course to Maria Callinan and all of the staff who have contributed to the success of the initiative in Laois. I am confident that the Board will go from strength to strength and I wish you every success in the future. The Board has now re-located to more suitable premises at IBS House. The move to new offices reflects the transition which is now being made by the County Enterprise Boards from the interim arrangements which governed the start-up period of the Boards to the fully autonomous stage which was always envisaged for them. I am delighted to be here today to mark the occasion in a formal way. I hereby declare the new offices of the Laois County Enterprise Board to be officially open.