The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, yesterday invited applications for grants under the New Community Enterprise Centre Programme, and said she had earmarked £13.5 million (€17.1 million) for the scheme. The initiative is aimed at promoting community enterprise in urban areas where there is a high concentration of long-term unemployed people, she added. The programme would "fill a void in the provision of industrial space for small businesses and will act as a catalyst for economic and social development in the target areas", Ms Harney added.