I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge and recognise the role he played in setting up so many LEOs for success up and down the country.
As he will be aware, there are 31 LEOs and they play an important role at local level as part of a supportive ecosystem that provides services directly to small businesses and promotes entrepreneurship in towns and communities across the country. They are the first-stop-shop for all businesses, regardless of sector. Over 370,000 small businesses are eligible for some type of support from their LEO.
It is this unique position that makes the LEOs so effective. They support a diverse range of new and innovative businesses to start and grow in every county and region across the country. The existing national enterprise model has allowed the LEO network to deliver effective national programmes consistent with enterprise policy, designed and overseen by Enterprise Ireland’s LEO centre of excellence, at a local level. The beauty of the system is that support is provided at a local level, in a local county town, to local businesses.
The LEO policy statement, which was launched in May this year, outlines how LEOs will align their work with the priorities of the White Paper on enterprise and sets out the road map and future direction of LEOs. The strength of the current model means that there is a consistency of approach available across the country. All 31 LEOs can draw on the expertise of Enterprise Ireland's centre of excellence, as well as national panels of mentors, to provide clients with bespoke and expert advice.
Small businesses, through LEOs, have access to 16 technology gateways, each of which has sectoral expertise and are located around the country offering innovation support and assistance as well as access to Ireland's four European digital innovation hubs which are regionally based. The immediate challenges facing small businesses, as well as long-term issues like decarbonisation, which the Deputy spoke about, are best addressed through national expertise and initiatives, rather than through regional centres.
Furthermore, since the expansion of the LEO mandate to allow them to support businesses with up to 50 employees, means there is now a greater level of co-operation between LEOs and the Enterprise Ireland regional offices, which is welcome. The capacity of the LEO network will also be strengthened through the development of a new digital client engagement system which Enterprise Ireland is leading on.
Further to this, the National Enterprise Hub, which launched in July last, provides a centralised signposting service for over 230 Government supports in areas like decarbonisation, digitalisation, skills development and innovation. This will allow LEO business advisors to engage even more with entrepreneurs on a personal level to gain a better understanding of their needs. That is the benefit of our LEOs, namely the personal and localised level of the service they provide.