Address by Mr Noel Treacy T.D.,Minister for Science, Technology and Commerceon the Opening of the New Extension to the Castleblayney Community Enterprise Centreon Friday, 24th November, 2000 at 5.00pm

It gives me great pleasure to be here today to officially open the new extension to the Castleblayney Community Enterprise Centre. I would like to take this opportunity to commend everyone involved in this project. I know that the completion of this phase of the development marks the culmination to years of hard work and commitment.

As you are all aware the Enterprise Centre here in Castleblayney is providing valuable workspace for start up businesses in the town, and will facilitate the development of a number of viable enterprises already emerging within the local community.

It will help ensure that all potential entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises with innovative projects are identified and receive the full range of services and the resources necessary to establish their new activities. Already a number of businesses have been established here, in both the manufacturing and service sectors. Harris Engineering and Ostmark Ltd work with the construction industry while I understand that Modeece Furniture is the newest tenant here. Castle Public Relations, the National Council for the Blind and Blaney Blades Women’s group provide an excellent service to their respective clients. Lastly, I would like to pay tribute to the community and youth groups (Monaghan Youth Federation, Macra na Feirme and County Monaghan Community Games) who operate in the voluntary sector, to the benefit of us all.

While we are proud of our achievement in attracting inward investment into Ireland and acknowledge the contribution that it has made to our economic growth, it is equally important that small businesses continue to be created within local communities. These small businesses help drive our local economies. People who have their roots in the community and who have grown up in a community form a very strong bond with their local area and want to make it grow and prosper. This is a very important aspect of job creation and must not be underestimated.

I am aware of the important role which indigenous Irish industry has played in contributing to the record growth in our economy. In recent years the best of Irish companies have created remarkable success stories both here in Ireland and in global markets.

Over the next ten years, the characteristics of the best must become the norm. Enterprise Ireland, the industrial development agency responsible for the development of indigenous industry, estimates that the number of middle sized companies, with annual sales of IR£20 million and over will at least double by the end of this decade. Productivity is expected to rise to the top five in the EU. Spending on innovation is estimated to treble to 4.5% of sales. Growing Irish companies will be increasingly funded from venture capital and I hope to see many with stock market quotations. Successful Irish companies will typically have excellent business systems, a deep knowledge of their markets, highly effective innovation processes and human resources development plans.

In applauding Ireland’s recent economic success, we cannot become complacent or assume that Irish industry will continue its growth path as a matter of course. Companies operate in a business environment where change is the constant dynamic.

The global marketplace opens up new horizons of business opportunity, and raises the requirement for excellence and competitiveness. Revolutionary developments in electronics, information technology, electronic commerce and biotechnology are impacting on Irish business.

This Government continues its efforts to create an environment that is conducive to innovation and commercial risk-taking, an environment that facilitates and supports the growth of more small and medium-sized enterprises. Ireland needs a strong, vibrant, locally controlled business sector that harnesses the flair, innovation and abilities of Ireland’s entrepreneurial talent to expand sales, exports and jobs.

Technological development is a critical area for the development of small and medium sized enterprises and significant progress has been made in Ireland in recent years with a number of support programmes for research and development. The Government Agencies with responsibility for industrial development are shifting grant assistance more and more into research and development, encouraging firms to innovate, to pursue new opportunities and explore new markets. This is an investment in our future.

The North East Region has experienced significant economic growth in recent years and further opportunities for growth exist with an increase in cross border co-operation and trade. The scope for increasing this trade and for co-operation in selling to overseas markets is considerable. In recent years the business community North and South has provided strong and courageous leadership in pointing to the economic price of conflict and instability and in urging a generous and pragmatic approach to reconciliation. I am pleased to note that Castleblayney Community Enterprise Ltd has established close links with several Community and Enterprise Groups north of the border, with a view to exchanging ideas and promoting enterprise.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend all of the groups and agencies who have worked so closely together to make this Centre a reality. In particular, I would like to thank Enterprise Ireland, Monaghan County Enterprise Board, the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation and the County Monaghan Partnership for giving financial assistance so that this project could become a reality. In addition I wish to sincerely thank FAS who provided funding so that an enterprise worker could be employed to oversee the development of the building. I know that there is strong Community involvement in Castleblayney and various groups are collectively responsible for the delivery of numerous initiatives which greatly benefit the area and its inhabitants.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the members of the Castleblayney Community Enterprise Ltd for inviting me here today. I believe that this Enterprise Centre has a great future as a centre for the development of small business and I sincerely welcome the ongoing development of this town.