asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism if he will consider, in consultation with the IDA expanding the enterprise centre concept to all counties in Ireland and thereby utilise some of the large number of vacant IDA advance factories.

I am informed that the Industrial Development Authority have provided an enterprise centre in Pearse Street, Dublin, and also plan to construct a centre in Cork. 10,000 sq. ft. of small industry incubator units are being provided within the IDA's East Wall development which will embody some of the features of the Pearse Street centre. Enterprise centres of this nature are sustainable only in large centres of population. However, the IDA will monitor the progress of these centres and will review the question of establishing other centres as appropriate.

Shannon Development have provided two workspace centres at Limerick City and centres at Abbeyfeale and Kilfinane, County Limerick and Nenagh, County Tipperary.

In addition, the industrial development agencies have a range of small industry units available throughout the country suitable for the needs of the typical small industry and crafts project.

As there is an adequate volume of small industry factory space available at present, the industrial development agencies have no plans to adapt bigger factory units which are required for medium to large industry.

I think I heard the Minister correctly to say that it is the belief that enterprise centres are not suitable except in large areas of population. Would he not agree with me that those enterprise centres can be made applicable in areas of much less population than the ones he spoke about? Craft industry surely can be developed in the more remote parts of Ireland and, rather than leaving factory space as it has been, vacant for quite some time and probably will be vacant for a long time in the future in the absence of any policy here to do anything about it, the Minister should consider the adaptation of them as enterprise centres on a temporary basis and see how they go. We would be better off making some use of them than leaving them idle. There is a great deal of talent in the craft and small industrial areas. Surely if you make the effort and give the opportunity to young people instead of having them roving the streets and getting into all sorts of vandalism——

Deputy——

There is a need to show leadership and direction in that area and let the people know that you will provide them with the facilities if they want to apply their talents.

I would be quite happy to extend the enterprise centre concept to other locations as experience indicates that this would be wise. However, I should indicate to the Deputy what is provided in an enterprise centre.

As if I did not know.

Essentially a centralised share support service is provided by the IDA including common secretarial services, common accounting services, shared conference facilities and a common canteen. Clearly, to make sense of these economics one requires that a number of projects would be located in relatively large centres in order to make them economical. In that context one would tend to locate such centres in larger areas of population.

Would the Minister agree there are plenty of opportunities around the country for young people to put their talents together? Would he not provide the use of estates lying vacant around the country for such projects rather than indulging in this bureaucratic nonsense?

I agree fully, and that is what we are doing in regard to smaller projects in areas where additional space is required. The IDA are still continuing to build incubator factories suitable for such small projects. SFADCo and the IDA will give plenty of opportunities for such projects and any lack of space will be responded to immediately by the building of new units.

Nobody is talking about building. Would the IDA make use of what is there?

Would the Minister agree that the concept that enterprise projects are suitable for larger centres has been the downfall of regions such as mine? The IDA are concentrating their efforts in large centres of population to the neglect of others.

I have already explained why enterprise centres would be suited to larger centres of population. I expect there is a case for regional development.

What is the Minister doing about it?

Question Time is about getting information. If a Deputy gets information which he does not agree with and which is good material for a speech, so be it, but he should make that speech elsewhere.

Could the advance factories not be developed for these projects rather than building new ones?

First of all, it is my intention to restructure the entire policy, and that will be done. I encourage the industrial development agencies to make arrangements in the regions, when that is suitable. I believe there will be a significant number of larger projects coming in which will use the large units available. I intend to make sure that we will have such factories available for large as well as small projects.

In view of what the Minister has said, would he encourage the IDA to establish an enterprise system throughout the country in the many thousands of square feet of factory space unoccupied? Surely the unemployed throughout the country are entitled to get the same opportunities as those in Dublin and Cork. The Minister has been selective in regard to the enterprise idea.

I want to stress that it is the policy of the Government to encourage the development of small industries in every way, and for that purpose the IDA staff are being decentralised in each region precisely to achieve the objective the Deputies have in mind.