HELP for the self-employed and potential new business-owners is on the cards thanks to new measures approved by the government yesterday.

Men under 30 and women under 35 can claim up to 80 per cent of dole money offered to the newly self-employed to fund a new business.

Until now, this was reduced to 60 per cent for workers of any age.

Also, employees had a limit of two years to be able to choose to become shareholding directors of cooperatives and companies.

This limit has now been abolished.

Those setting up a business will also receive a 50 per cent discount on the social security stamp they have to pay for their first employee, for the first two years of this person’s job contract.

These new measures are open to anyone who has not had salaried employees working for them in the three months before applying.

They will be in place until December 31, 2010.