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For Oral Answer on : 10/10/2024
Question Number(s): 105 Question Reference(s): 40445/24
Department: Rural and Community Development
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline her ambition for the new Trading for Impact: National Social Enterprise Policy 2024 -2027; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
Trading for Impact, the new social enterprise policy puts forward a vision designed to help cultivate and sustain strong, impactful social enterprises in Ireland. This, in turn, will enrich the social, environmental and economic well-being of people living in our communities, both rural and urban.
It will further support social enterprises to play a crucial role in promoting social inclusion and equality, to provide supports and employment opportunities to more marginalised groups and minorities, and to address societal issues such as food poverty, housing provision and the environment.
The policy lays out 57 concrete actions, across five policy objectives: ‘Building Awareness of Social Enterprise’, ‘Growing and Sustaining Social Enterprise’, ‘Supporting the Green Transition’, ‘National and International Engagement’, and ‘Impact measurement’. Through delivery of these policy objectives, Trading for Impact will create sustainable pathways to enhance both quality of life and economic opportunity while improving the capacity of social enterprises to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Trading for Impact was developed in partnership with the sector, and is designed to foster further partnership and collaboration between its networks and stakeholders. It takes a cross-government approach to encourage further co-ordination of social enterprise policy across multiple departments and is a blueprint for sustainable growth over the coming years.
Through the implementation of the new Policy, it is envisaged that the social enterprise sector will continue to develop in size and significance over the coming years supported by developments at EU and international level. I look forward to the increased growth and contribution of social enterprise to Irish society in the years ahead, and to a future where they remain at the core of our communities as a valuable source of innovation and collaboration.