Microfinance fund ‘fails areas in need’

The operation of the Government’s microfinance fund is piecemeal and is failing those areas with the highest levels of need, according to Sinn Féin’s Peadar Tóibín.

The TD was responding to new figures showing that applications for micro-finance through county and city enterprise boards have only a 39% approval rate to date.

According to figures provided by Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise Richard Bruton, 72 applications routed through the enterprise boards have been processed. with 28 of these successful.