Call for appointment of SME minister

A senior minister with direct responsibility for the SME sector and a brief to develop indigenous small and medium enterprises should be appointed by the Taoiseach, SME representative group the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) said today.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen is set to announce a cabinet reshuffle tomorrow that is widely expected to include changes to the portfolios of numerous departments, with the establishment of a new Department of Economic Planning and Enterprise.