Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 October 2019
217. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount allocated to the digital trading voucher scheme in budget 2020; and the number of digital vouchers expected to be provided under the scheme in 2020. [44051/19]
View answerThe Trading Online Voucher Scheme is an initiative specifically designed to support small and micro enterprises to trade online. Funded by my Department and administered by Enterprise Ireland through the national network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), the scheme offers financial assistance of up to €2,500, subject to matched funding, to help small businesses to develop their online trading capability. This is coupled with training, mentoring and networking supports. Small businesses, with 10 or fewer employees, less than €2m in turnover, and that have little or no capacity to trade online, are eligible to apply.
The Trading Online Voucher Scheme budget forms part of my Department's Communications Programme budget for 2020. Detailed allocations at subhead level will be published in the revised estimates volume in December 2019. It is anticipated that in the region of 1,250 vouchers will be approved in 2020, which is of the same order as 2019. The Trading Online Voucher Scheme is, however, demand-led and as a result the level of funding drawn down by the LEOs is dependent on the level of approved applications.
