Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2023
266. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extra supports provided to local enterprise offices since the current Government was formed in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56207/23]
View answerThis Government recognises that the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play a crucial role at local level providing services directly to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. The LEOs are the 'first stop shop' at local level for every business in the country. They provide signposts for all Government supports for SMEs providing referrals to other relevant bodies and they support a diverse range of new and innovative businesses to start and grow.
Our support is reflected in the steady increase in funding for the LEOs, which has risen from €38.18m in 2020, to an allocated budget of €56.797m in 2024. This funding provides the LEOs with the necessary funding to engage with a broader range of small businesses across a wider range of services.
My Department has introduced a number of new supports, through the LEOs, that assist businesses in addressing the challenges that they have faced - be that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the energy crisis or longer terms challenges like decarbonisation and digitalisation.
During the pandemic, my Department introduced the Business Continuity Voucher and the Micro Enterprise Assistance Fund, as temporary supports for businesses in response to Covid-19 that sought to address a real identified need at that time.
Since 2020, the LEOs have evolved to provide services to a broad range of businesses of various sizes across the economy and have been at the forefront of the Department’s efforts to promote decarbonisation and digitalisation in small businesses. This includes the introduction of the Energy Efficiency Grant, Green for Business and Digital for Business.
The extension of the LEO mandate in 2022 has allowed the LEOs to target more enterprises with export ambition by providing direct grants to firms operating in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors with up to 50 employees.
The LEOs also promote entrepreneurship through courses such as Start Your Own Business and through events such as the National Enterprise Awards, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and the Student Enterprise Programme.
We will also be enhancing the capacity of the LEO network through the LEO Digital Transformation programme, which will, on completion, provide the LEOs with an increased ability to actively engage with their clients.
Next year will mark 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the LEOs and work has commenced on the development of a policy statement that will set out the future direction for the LEOs to play their part in implementing the objectives in the White Paper on Enterprise. The White Paper also sets out the ambition for the LEOs to continue to enhance their advisory services for locally trading firms, helping them to improve productivity through digitalisation and decarbonisation; two of the priority areas in the White Paper.
