Address by Mr Noel Treacy, T.D., Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce, At the launch of Roscommon Business Directory at the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon on Monday, 14th February 2000 at 6.00 pm

As Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce, with responsibility for the County Enterprise Boards, it gives me great pleasure to be here this evening to acknowledge the success of the County Enterprise Board initiative and the part played by the Roscommon Board in this success story. I am also pleased to be here to launch the Roscommon Business Directory.

When I received this invitation to launch the Roscommon Business Directory, I was delighted to accept.

I know that the Roscommon Board are deeply committed to identifying the needs of locally based micro enterprise and have proved themselves to be a successful, innovative and effective local development structure capable of both generating and tapping enterprise at local level.

Roscommon County Enterprise Board was established by us in October, 1993, as a part of a network of 35 City and County Enterprise Boards. Since 1993, the Board have invested £2.6m in direct financial support to start-up businesses and business expansions in addition to providing a wide range of non-financial supports to small business. The Success of the Roscommon Board may be measured by its investment in the local economy and particularly by its creation of 463 full-time and 160 part time jobs and the translation of many ideas into commercial reality, leading to economic and social well being for many people residing in County Roscommon.

Indeed all thirty five Enterprise Boards have achieved a very high levels of success since commencement of their establishment in 1992. The original job targets set for all of the Enterprise Boards was to create 8,000 jobs over their first five years in operation. Already to the end of 1998, over 15,000 jobs will have been created in Board assisted enterprises, and I understand that in the year just past, it is expected that a further 3,500 jobs will have been created.

The launch of this Business Directory reflects great initiative by the Roscommon Enterprise Board and is one of the many initiatives by them in support and development of micro-enterprises and the stimulation of economic identity. It is indicative of the Board's total dedication to identifying and fulfilling the needs of the local economy.

This is the first edition of the Business Directory and contains 2,300 entries which will provide a tremendous baseline of information which can be built on in the future.

The Directory provides details of retail, Professional, Manufacturing, and Trade Organisations and Services (including Government Services, Health, Transport and Tourism Services) operating in this County. All services have been categorised making this Directory a 'user-friendly' publication for all.

I am confident that this new Directory will:-

• • Forge stronger links between all businesses operating in this County and create a greater awareness of the multi-sectoral services available here throughout the country;
• • Will serve as an invaluable source of information for people utilising the services on a daily basis; and
• • Will provide a business database that will serve as a building block for future business databases in this County.

I am particularly impressed by the fact that the Business Directory will be incorporated in the Business Park Section of the Roscommon Website. This initiative will develop useful business links both in Ireland and Worldwide and will generate very tangible new economic links for this County.

The publication of this Directory would not have been possible without the co-operation of many people - and I wish to sincerely congratulate the Roscommon County Enterprise Board Members and all of their excellent staff for their foresight in undertaking this very positive initiative. I commend them on the excellence of this production and on their contribution to the economic well being of County Roscommon.

I wish this project every success and I know that it will make a huge contribution to the enterprise awareness and networking of all of businesses within this historic the County.