The Minister of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte has spoken positively on the role to be played by social enterprise in job creation within Ireland.

The minister, who was speaking at the opening of the WINSENT organised, "Catch the Wave" conference on social enterprise said: "Social enterprise is underdeveloped at 3% of GDP and little is known in Ireland. The European norm for social enterprise is between 4% and 7% of GDP."The Social Economy should not be confused with community and voluntary traditional endeavour. Rather it is an entirely different concept based on an exacting and rigorous business model”, the Minister said.

“For the first time a commitment to the development of Social Enterprise features in a Programme for Government.The Programme negotiated between Labour and Fine Gael pledges that the Government will promote the development of a vibrant and effective social enterprise sector". He said: "A particular Government Ministry must take responsibility for the development of this area. Whether it is the Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation or the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government is yet to be settled on".

"Since it is critical that social enterprises have access to the existing support structures that are available to conventional SMEs such as County Enterprise Boards, Enterprise Ireland, Business Innovation Centres and so on, it may be best that responsibility is reposed in the Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation"."That department has a micro-finance fund for start up enterprises and there is no reason why social enterprises should not have access to that fund."