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Wednesday, 13 May 2020

Written Answers Nos. 429-455

Regional Enterprise Development Fund Data

Questions (429)

Robert Troy

Question:

429. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of projects approved under the third call of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund; the number of projects that were not approved by county in each year; the main reasons for refusal; and if there is an appeal mechanism in place by county in tabular form. [3927/20]

View answer

Written answers

My Department's Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) was introduced to support the development and implementation of collaborative and innovative projects that can sustain and add to employment at county, regional and national level. The Fund has been administered on behalf of my Department by Enterprise Ireland. There have been three calls under the Fund, and just under €100 million in funding has been approved across 68 projects.

Call 3 of the REDF opened on 24th June 2019 and closed on 25th September 2019. A total of 61 projects were received by the call close date and 26 projects were approved funding totalling over €40 million. Projects were approved in each region.

I understand that with regards to the number of projects not approved, the Deputy is requesting information on projects not approved by county specifically under Call 3 of the REDF, which refers to the announcement made in 2020 only.

Enterprise Ireland has advised that a total of 35 projects were not approved for funding in Call 3, including four projects that did not meet the eligibility criteria to go forward for assessment; however due to the inter-county collaborative nature of the projects, it is not possible to track the number of unsuccessful projects by county. I can however advise the Deputy on the projects not approved by region, which is set out in the following table.

REDF Call 3

Region

Applications not approved

Mid East

2

Dublin

2

Midlands

5

Mid-West

6

North East

3

North West

5

South East

3

South West

5

West

4

Total

35

As regards the main reasons for refusal, the REDF was administered as a competitive Scheme and the eligibility criteria, assessment process and evaluation criteria were published in the Scheme Document. I have been informed by Enterprise Ireland that applicants were deemed unsuccessful based on not meeting eligibility criteria in the first instance; and following that, those eligible projects who did not meet the required score in the competitive evaluation process were then not approved for funding under the Scheme.

Enterprise Ireland have assured me that while there is no formal appeals process in the Scheme, all unsuccessful projects received detailed feedback from Enterprise Ireland's regional teams to assist them in strengthening their application for any future funding supports available to them.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (430)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

430. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the amount expended on access to online and hardcopy media publications in each of the years 2017 to 2019 and to date in 2020; the breakdown of online and hard copy subscriptions including the publications that her Department subscribes to; if consideration has been given to using a banded set of IP addresses for online subscriptions rather than individual accounts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4000/20]

View answer

Written answers

The total expenditure on hardcopy and online media publications by my Department and its Offices from 2017 to date is available at the following link. A breakdown of costs and details of the publications subscribed to, is also provided. In engaging service providers, my Department and its Offices are mindful of both the business need and the need to always secure value for money taking account of different subscription options available and, accordingly, strive to keep costs to minimum.

Please be advised that invoices relating to hardcopies of newspapers and magazines purchased in 2017 are filed off-site and are not available to staff of my Department. As a result, my Department cannot provide a breakdown of the volume and cost of different hardcopy publications purchased, however a total expenditure figure is provided for those publications for 2017.

pq430

Question No. 431 withdrawn.

Industrial Development

Questions (432)

James Browne

Question:

432. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to address the quality of jobs and the need for further investment in the south-east; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4101/20]

View answer

Written answers

Since becoming Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I have made jobs and enterprise in the regions my top priority. I want to have a situation where all regions are enabled to realise their potential as contributors to economic growth.

Enterprise development and sustainable job creation in the regions is a key policy priority of this Government. A total of 26,700 more people in the South-East are in employment in Q4 2019 than in Q1 2015 when the Regional Action Plan for Jobs started, and unemployment in the South East has reduced from 11.7 percent to 6.8 percent in the same period.

I launched the South-East Regional Enterprise Plan in March 2019, one of nine new regional plans that build on the previous Regional Action Plans for Jobs. The South-East Plan has focused on a number of Strategic Objectives: building enterprise resilience; marketing the region; a regional engagement strategy on key infrastructure priorities; ensuring the South East is a learning region; and tourism growth. The Plan has commenced implementation, led by the Regional Steering Committee involving the Local Authorities, Enterprise Agencies, LEOs, tourism bodies, HEIs, ETBs, and others.

While we have had very good success to date through the Regional Enterprise Plan in reducing unemployment; in the context of Brexit and other global challenges we need to also focus on the creation of quality and sustainable jobs. My Department's Future Jobs Ireland initiative launched early last year with the Department of the Taoiseach, is our plan to meet these challenges. It includes ambitious targets and actions to drive this transformation of our economy.

In 2019, the South-East has 70 IDA Ireland supported companies employing 12,213 people, up 1.5% from 2018. The IDA will continue to work to identify opportunities for new investment or expansion in the South-East, promoting the region's existing concentrations of pharma, MedTech, financial services, AgriTech and high-value manufacturing activities.

In 2019, there were 19,868 people employed in 459 Enterprise Ireland supported companies in the South-East, up 2.5% from 2018. 'Powering the Regions' is Enterprise Ireland's new regional plan which sets out the focus of its activities regionally, including for the South East. There was also a net increase of 360 jobs supported by the South East LEOs during 2019.

The Government has put several funding streams in place to support regional development and the South-East has seen a number of successes under my own Department’s regional funding streams. These include over €12.1m under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), €377,520 under the Regional Technology Clustering Fund and €345,320 under the LEO Competitive Fund.

Guided by the Regional Enterprise Plan, and with all regional stakeholders working together, the South-East is well positioned to realise its enterprise potential and see better quality, sustainable jobs and investment.

Question No. 433 withdrawn.

Enterprise Support Services Provision

Questions (434)

Michael McGrath

Question:

434. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if immediate financial contingencies or assistance packages have been explored to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak specifically cash flow remedies for businesses at serious risk of losing significant business through a fall in clients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4288/20]

View answer

Written answers

On 8 April, I announced a major expansion of supports for all businesses impacted by COVID-19. The package of business supports is now worth €1 billion in liquidity measures. The measures were developed to meet the varying needs of Irish enterprise and they are very specifically targeted by size, sector and need.

The key measures I announced are set out below.

An expansion of the SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme:

I announced the SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme on 11 March and it opened for eligibility applications on 23 March. The Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme is offered by my Department in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and is supported by the InnovFin SME Guarantee facility. The scheme is operated by the SBCI. It currently makes available a fund of up to €200 m to eligible businesses that have been negatively affected by impacts arising from the outbreak of Covid-19 to enable those businesses to innovate, change or adapt in response to the current business environment. Following my announcement on April 8, this scheme is now being expanded to bring the total amount of lending available to €450 million.

An expansion of the Future Growth Loan Scheme:

The Future Growth Loan Scheme makes up to €300 million of loans available with a term of 8-10 years and is operated by the SBCI though participating lenders. We have seen strong demand for the scheme since its launch in April 2019 across all sectors and regions including in exporting businesses and family businesses. On 8 April, I announced a €200 million expansion of this scheme and my Department is now working through the details of a significant expansion to bring this funding to market as soon as possible.

For Microenterprises (under 10 employees) and businesses with over 10 employees:

- I am providing Microfinance Ireland (MFI), which is administering special COVID-19 Loans, with an additional €13m in capital support bringing its total lending capacity up to €20m for the coming period. There is also a substantial reduction in interest rates on these loans from 7.8% to 4.5%. Loans can be made up to €50,000 with no repayments required and no interest charged in the first six months.

- The €2,500 Trading Online Voucher Scheme for microenterprises is being expanded - an additional €3.3m is being provided to the scheme bringing the total available to €5.6m. The scheme is also being made more flexible - allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one; and allowing subscriptions to low-cost online retailing platform solutions to quickly establish a retailing presence online.

€180m Sustaining Enterprise Fund:

- This is specifically aimed at all firms with 10 or more employees in the manufacturing and international services sectors impacted by COVID-19 that are vulnerable but viable.

- The Fund will be operated by Enterprise Ireland, providing repayable advances of up to €800,000 as agreed with the EU under new State Aid rules and, together with leveraged lending from the financial markets, should see up to €500m of additional investment in vulnerable but viable firms. These grants will only be repayable if and when a business returns to financial good health.

New €2,500 Business Continuity Voucher:

This Voucher is available through Local Enterprise Offices and is designed for businesses across every sector that employ up to 50 people. It can be used by companies to develop short-term and long-term strategies to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Business Financial Planning Grant:

Business Financial Planning Grant from Enterprise Ireland to the value of €5,000 to assist companies to develop a Business Sustainment Plan and to engage the services of an approved Financial Consultant

Lean Business Improvement Grant:

A €2,500 LEAN Business Improvement Grant from Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to help companies quickly access expertise to review and optimise operations at a time of crisis and identify the key measures needed to ensure continued viability.

Online Retail Scheme:

A new €2m Online Retail Scheme from Enterprise Ireland will be open to retailers employing over 10 people. The objective of the Scheme is to support companies in the indigenous retail sector with a pre-existing online presence to respond to both the domestic and international consumer demand for a competitive online offer. Grants ranging from €10,000 to €40,000 will be awarded under the competitive scheme.

These measures are in addition to the €150m of funding capacity in the Government’s Credit Guarantee Scheme.

On Saturday 2 May , I also announced a further suite of measures to support small, medium and larger business that are negatively impacted by Covid-19 with Minister Paschal Donohoe, T.D., Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform and Minister Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. This package of support followed the publication of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business, which sets out a five-stage plan to ease the Covid-19 restrictions and reopen Ireland’s economy and society. The new measures we announced included:

- A €10,000 restart grant for micro and small businesses based on a rates/waiver rebate from 2019;

- A three-month commercial rates waiver for impacted businesses;

- A €2 billion Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund within the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which will make capital available to medium and large enterprises on commercial terms;

- A €2 billion COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme to support lending to SMEs for terms ranging from 3 months to 6 years, which will be below market interest rates;

- The ‘warehousing’ of tax liabilities for a period of twelve months after recommencement of trading during which time there will be no debt enforcement action taken by Revenue and no interest charge accruing in respect of the warehoused debt; and,

- A commitment to local authorities to make up the rates shortfall, so that local authorities can continue provide full services to the public.

In addition to the measures I have recently announced, the full range of Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and Údarás na Gaeltachta grant and advisory supports continue to be available to eligible firms to help with strategies to access finance, commence or ramp-up online trading activity, reconfigure business models, cut costs, innovate, diversify markets and supply chains and to improve competitiveness.

I can assure the Deputy that I continue to work with my colleagues across Government to examine further appropriate supports to assist businesses impacted by Covid-19, including through any mechanisms allowable through the EU’s state aid framework.

My Department’s has also added a Covid-19 Supports page to its website, which outlines the available Government supports, which you can find at the following link.https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (435)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

435. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the financial provisions made for claims pending in the courts in addition to subsequent claims in respect of failures by Departments, bodies or agencies to correctly and accurately implement the provisions of the prompt payment of accounts legislation since 2011; and the provisions in this regard. [4311/20]

View answer

Written answers

The European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 applies to all public authorities which include Government Departments and state bodies.

It is the responsibility of each Government Department and state body to ensure its internal systems and processes are in order to meet obligations under the above Regulations.

Data supplied by Government Departments shows strong compliance with payment requirements with, 98% of all invoices received by Government Departments in 2018 and 2019 respectively paid within 30 days and did not incur late payment interest or compensation. In 2018 and 2019, 99% and 98% of all invoices received by the agencies of this Department were paid within 30 days and therefore did not incur late payment interest or compensation payments.

Any court proceedings taken by a supplier against an individual Government Department or state body for non-compliance with these Regulations is a matter for that Department or state body.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (436)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

436. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to shortcomings and failures within Departments, agencies and bodies to implement auditable systems to accurately record the receipt date of supplier invoices since 2011 in order to comply with the obligations and requirements of the prompt payment of accounts legislation. [4316/20]

View answer

Written answers

The European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 - SI 580 of 2012 gives legal effect to Directive 2011/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions.

These Regulations apply to all public authorities which include Government Departments and state bodies. The Regulations provide that public authorities must pay for goods and services they procure within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice or as specified in a contract (which cannot exceed 30 days).

It is the responsibility of each individual Government Department and state body to ensure its internal systems and processes are in order to meet obligations under the above Regulations.

I can confirm that my Department and its agencies have systems and processes in place to ensure that obligations under the 15-day prompt payment rules and the 30-day limit under the Regulations are met. Prompt payments is an integral part of the processes in this Department and its agencies and is constantly monitored.

All Departments must publish, on a quarterly basis their compliance figures. All Departments must also publish the compliance levels of the bodies under their aegis on their respective websites. The compliance level among Government Departments and the agencies of my Department with the regulations have been consistently very strong. In 2018 and 2019 respectively, 98% of all invoices received by Government Departments were paid within 30 days and did not incur late payment interest or compensation. In 2018 and 2019, 99% and 98% of all invoices received by the agencies of this Department were paid within 30 days and therefore did not incur late payment interest or compensation payments. This demonstrates that robust systems are in place to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (437)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

437. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to financial provisions for claims pending in the courts in addition to subsequent claims in respect of failures by Departments, bodies or agencies to correctly and accurately implement the provisions of the prompt payment of accounts legislation since 2011; and if so, the details of the scale and scope of such provisions. [4317/20]

View answer

Written answers

The European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 applies to all public authorities which include Government Departments and state bodies.

It is the responsibility of each Government Department and state body to ensure its internal systems and processes are in order to meet obligations under the above Regulations.

Data supplied by Government Departments shows strong compliance with payment requirements with, 98% of all invoices received by Government Departments in 2018 and 2019 respectively paid within 30 days and did not incur late payment interest or compensation. In 2018 and 2019, 99% and 98% of all invoices received by the agencies of this Department were paid within 30 days and therefore did not incur late payment interest or compensation payments.

Any court proceedings taken by a supplier against an individual Government Department or state body for non-compliance with these Regulations is a matter for that Department or state body.

I can confirm that my Department is not engaged in court proceedings arising from legal action taken under the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations.

Departmental Data

Questions (438, 439)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

438. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to a Department, body, agency or publicly funded organisation which has not fully discharged a valid supplier invoice within 90 days of receipt in each of the years 2013 to 2019; and if so, the details of the scale of such behaviour. [4375/20]

View answer

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

439. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to a Department, body, agency or publicly funded organisation which has not fully discharged large numbers of valid supplier invoices within 90 days of receipt in each of the years 2013 to 2019. [4376/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together.

The European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 applies to all public authorities which include Government Departments and state bodies.

The Regulations provide that public authorities must pay for goods and services they procure within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice or as specified in a contract (which cannot exceed 30 days). Where a Department or state body fails to comply with these regulations, that is if a payment is made later than 30 days, then they are in breach of these regulations an must automatically pay to the supplier compensation (a minimum of €40) and late payment interest for every day they are late. So, if a Government Department or state body does not pay a supplier for 90 days they must pay 60 days of late payment interest to that supplier, as well as the compensation payment. Departments and state bodies report on payments which have taken longer than 30 days. My Department does not receive information on the number of late days in excess of the 30-day limit.

The interest and compensation rates applied are in line with the Directive. Late payment interest is currently set at 8% (daily rate of 0.022%), on the outstanding balance of the payment. This rate of interest is in line with the requirements of the Directive and is also in line with interest rates applied by other Member States. The supplier is also entitled to compensation at a minimum rate of €40 in line with the Directive.

Compliance level among Government Departments is very strong. In 2018 2019 98% of all invoices received by Government Departments were paid within 30 days and did not incur late payment interest or compensation. In 2018 and 2019, 99% and 98% of all invoices received by the agencies of this Department were paid within 30 days and therefore did not incur late payment interest or compensation payments.

Enterprise Support Services Provision

Questions (440)

Robert Troy

Question:

440. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the impact on businesses especially SMEs in view of Covid-19; and the supports which will be put in place for small businesses to deal with such a scenario. [4379/20]

View answer

Written answers

I announced on April 8 a major expansion of supports for all businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The package is now worth €1 billion in liquidity measures including a new €180m Sustaining Enterprise Fund for firms in the manufacturing and international services sectors. Free mentoring and online training are also available for all SMEs. This package is a significant step-up in the supports available for all businesses in all sectors at this very difficult time. The measures have been developed to meet the varying needs of Irish enterprise and they are very specifically targeted by size, sector and need.

In that regard, Government will continue to explore funding potential for all enterprises including micro-enterprises as they work through the challenges facing them, including through any mechanisms allowable through the EU’s state aid framework.

There are several schemes available that can assist businesses in meeting their short-term working capital and liquidity requirements including:

- A €200m Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) Working Capital scheme for eligible businesses impacted by COVID-19. Loans of up to €1.5m will be available at reduced rates, with up to the first €500,000 unsecured. Applications can be made through the SBCI website. Following my further announcement on April 8 this Scheme is now being expanded to make available an additional €250 million in lending, which will bring the total amount of lending available under this scheme to €450 million.

- The maximum loan available from MicroFinance Ireland (MFI) will be increased from €25,000 to €50,000 as an immediate measure to deal specifically with the exceptional circumstances micro-enterprises – (sole traders and firms with up to 9 employees) are facing. Applications can be made through the MFI website or through your Local Enterprise Office (LEO);

- The Credit Guarantee Scheme will be available to COVID-19 impacted firms through the Pillar Banks. Loans of up to €1m will be available at terms of up to 7 years. On 2 May, I announced a €2 billion COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme to support lending to SMEs for terms ranging from 3 months to 6 years, which will be below market interest rates. This scheme will include primary producers.

- A €200m Package for Enterprise Supports including a Rescue and Restructuring Scheme available through Enterprise Ireland (EI) for vulnerable but viable firms that need to restructure or transform their business.

- A New €2,500 Business Continuity Voucher is available through Local Enterprise Offices and is designed for businesses across every sector that employ up to 50 people. It can be used by companies to develop short-term and long-term strategies to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures are in addition to the €150m of funding capacity in the Government’s Credit Guarantee Scheme. For Microenterprises (under 10 employees):

-The €2,500 Trading Online Voucher Scheme for microenterprises is being expanded - an additional €3.3m is being provided to the scheme bringing the total available to €5.6m. The scheme is also being made more flexible - allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one; and allowing subscriptions to low-cost online retailing platform solutions to quickly establish a retailing presence online.

- €180m Sustaining Enterprise Fund, this is specifically aimed at all firms with 10 or more employees in the manufacturing and international services sectors impacted by COVID-19 that are vulnerable but viable. The Fund will be operated by Enterprise Ireland, providing repayable advances of up to €800,000 as agreed with the EU under new State Aid rules and, together with leveraged lending from the financial markets, should see up to €500m of additional investment in vulnerable but viable firms. These grants will only be repayable if and when a business returns to financial good health.

- Business Financial Planning Grant from Enterprise Ireland to the value of €5,000 to assist companies to develop a Business Sustainment Plan and to engage the services of an approved Financial Consultant.

- A new €2,500 LEAN Business Improvement Grant from Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to help companies quickly access expertise to review and optimise operations at a time of crisis and identify the key measures needed to ensure continued viability.

- A new €2m Online Retail Scheme from Enterprise Ireland will be open to retailers employing over 10 people. The objective of the Scheme is to support companies in the indigenous retail sector with a pre-existing online presence to respond to both the domestic and international consumer demand for a competitive online offer. Grants ranging from €10,000 to €40,000 will be awarded under the competitive scheme.

My Department and the Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection (DEASP) will provide a joint First Responder support service through the Intreo Offices, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, in all regions, to provide custom-made supports for impacted businesses to buy time to work through short-term disruptions and to assist in avoiding mass lay-offs.

Firms that need to reduce hours or days worked can avail of the DEASP Short Term Work Support by contacting their local Intreo Office. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), working in conjunction with the DEASP, are coordinating information for employees and employers on their rights and responsibilities in the case of employees being absent from work due to isolation and/or infection.

EI are providing advice, business continuity tools and webinars for businesses, and along with the LEOs will activate advisory clinics and mentoring support for affected firms. A Finance in Focus grant of €7,200 will be available to EI and Údarás na Gaeltachta clients who wish to access consultancy support to undertake immediate finance reviews.

The full range of EI, IDA Ireland, LEO and Údarás na Gaeltachta grant supports will be available to firms to help with strategies to innovate, diversify markets and supply chains and to improve competitiveness. In addition, LEOs in every county will be providing vouchers from €2,500 up to €10,000 (with 50:50 match funding) to support business continuity preparedness, innovation and productivity.

A Checklist for Business Continuity Planning, produced in consultation with the HSE, with specific references to COVID-19 is available on my Department’s website. The continuity planning checklist lays out some of the key risks to the continuity of business activities and the preparatory actions that can be taken by businesses to mitigate these.

The Deputy will also be aware of the recently announced €2.4 billion package of reforms for sick pay, illness benefit and supplementary benefit that is designed to ensure that employees and the self-employed can abide by medical advice to self-isolate where appropriate.

On Saturday 2 May last, I also announced a further suite of measures to support small, medium and larger business that are negatively impacted by Covid-19 with Minister Paschal Donohoe, T.D., Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform and Minister Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. This package of support followed the publication of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business, which sets out a five-stage plan to ease the Covid-19 restrictions and reopen Ireland’s economy and society. The new measures we announced included:

- A €10,000 restart grant for micro and small businesses based on a rates/waiver rebate from 2019;

- A three-month commercial rates waiver for impacted businesses;

- A €2 billion Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund within the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which will make capital available to medium and large enterprises on commercial terms;

- A €2 billion COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme to support lending to SMEs for terms ranging from 3 months to 6 years, which will be below market interest rates;

- The ‘warehousing’ of tax liabilities for a period of twelve months after recommencement of trading during which time there will be no debt enforcement action taken by Revenue and no interest charge accruing in respect of the warehoused debt; and,

A commitment to local authorities to make up the rates shortfall, so that local authorities can continue provide full services to the public.

My Department will continue to monitor the situation and engage across Government with the representative bodies, Enterprise Forum, the banking system and other stakeholders, with a view to ensuring an appropriate response that will protect and support Irish businesses.

Enterprise Support Services Provision

Questions (441)

Robert Troy

Question:

441. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she is examining a specific business support fund for companies impacted by Covid-19. [4380/20]

View answer

Written answers

I announced on April 8 a major expansion of supports for all businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The package is now worth €1 billion in liquidity measures including a new €180m Sustaining Enterprise Fund for firms in the manufacturing and international services sectors. Free mentoring and online training are also available for all SMEs. This package is a significant step-up in the supports available for all businesses in all sectors at this very difficult time. The measures have been developed to meet the varying needs of Irish enterprise and they are very specifically targeted by size, sector and need.

In addition to the new package of liquidity measures I announced are detailed below, the full range of Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and Údarás na Gaeltachta grant and advisory supports continue to be available to eligible firms to help with strategies to access finance, commence or ramp-up online trading activity, reconfigure business models, cut costs, innovate, diversify markets and supply chains and to improve competitiveness.

In that regard, Government will continue to explore funding potential for all enterprises including micro-enterprises as they work through the challenges facing them, including through any mechanisms allowable through the EU’s state aid framework.

The key measures which constitute the €1 billion in liquidity measures as I announced are set out below.

The SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme was announced on 11 March and opened for eligibility applications on 23 March. The Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme is offered by my Department in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and is supported by the InnovFin SME Guarantee facility. The scheme is operated by the SBCI. It currently makes available a fund of up to €200 m to eligible businesses that have been negatively affected by impacts arising from the outbreak of Covid-19 to enable those businesses to innovate, change or adapt in response to the current business environment. Following my further announcement on April 8 this Scheme is now being expanded to make available an additional €250 million in lending, which will bring the total amount of lending available under this scheme to €450 million.

Up to 4 May, there has been a total of 2,127 applications received to the COVID-19 WCS, of which 1,834 candidates were eligible, 9 ineligible and 284 applications are currently in process. Of those, 156 loans have progressed to sanction to a total value of €28.02m.

The Future Growth Loan Scheme makes up to €300 million of loans available with a term of 8-10 years and is operated by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) though participating lenders. We have seen strong demand for the scheme since its launch in April 2019 across all sectors and regions including in exporting businesses and family businesses.

Up to 4 May, there has been a total of 3,449 applications for eligibility under the scheme, of which 3,286 have been approved for eligibility under the scheme. The initial €300m funding for the FGLS has been almost fully subscribed, supporting a significant level of strategic investment by businesses. On 8 April, I announced a further expansion of this scheme and my Department is now working through the details of a significant expansion to bring this funding to market as soon as possible.

New €2,500 Business Continuity Voucher. This Voucher is available through Local Enterprise Offices and is designed for businesses across every sector that employ up to 50 people. It can be used by companies to develop short-term and long-term strategies to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.These measures are in addition to the €150m of funding capacity in the Government’s Credit Guarantee Scheme. For microenterprises with under 10 employees, I am providing Microfinance Ireland (MFI), which is administering special COVID-19 Loans, with an additional €13m in capital support bringing its total lending capacity up to €20m for the coming period. There is also a substantial reduction in interest rates on these loans from 7.8% to 4.5%. Loans can be made up to €50,000 with no repayments required and no interest charged in the first six months.

In addition, I have expanded the €2,500 Trading Online Voucher Scheme for microenterprises, with an additional €3.3m being provided to the scheme bringing the total available to €5.6m, in conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Communications and Climate Action. The scheme is also being made more flexible - allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one; and allowing subscriptions to low-cost online retailing platform solutions to quickly establish a retailing presence online.

€180m Sustaining Enterprise Fund. This is specifically aimed at all firms with 10 or more employees in the manufacturing and international services sectors impacted by COVID-19 that are vulnerable but viable. The Fund will be operated by Enterprise Ireland, providing repayable advances of up to €800,000 as agreed with the EU under new State Aid rules and, together with leveraged lending from the financial markets, should see up to €500m of additional investment in vulnerable but viable firms. These grants will only be repayable if and when a business returns to financial good health.Help for Business planning:

· Business Financial Planning Grant from Enterprise Ireland to the value of €5,000 to assist companies to develop a Business Sustainment Plan and to engage the services of an approved Financial ConsultantOnline Retail Scheme

. A new €2m Online Retail Scheme from Enterprise Ireland will be open to retailers employing over 10 people. The objective of the Scheme is to support companies in the indigenous retail sector with a pre-existing online presence to respond to both the domestic and international consumer demand for a competitive online offer. Grants ranging from €10,000 to €40,000 will be awarded under the competitive scheme.

On Saturday 2 May last, I also announced a further suite of measures to support small, medium and larger business that are negatively impacted by Covid-19 with Minister Paschal Donohoe, T.D., Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform and Minister Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. This package of support followed the publication of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business, which sets out a five-stage plan to ease the Covid-19 restrictions and reopen Ireland’s economy and society. The new measures we announced included:

- A €10,000 restart grant for micro and small businesses based on a rates/waiver rebate from 2019;

- A three-month commercial rates waiver for impacted businesses;

- A €2 billion Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund within the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which will make capital available to medium and large enterprises on commercial terms;

- A €2 billion COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme to support lending to SMEs for terms ranging from 3 months to 6 years, which will be below market interest rates;

- The ‘warehousing’ of tax liabilities for a period of twelve months after recommencement of trading during which time there will be no debt enforcement action taken by Revenue and no interest charge accruing in respect of the warehoused debt; and,

- A commitment to local authorities to make up the rates shortfall, so that local authorities can continue provide full services to the public.

I can assure the Deputy that I continue to work with my colleagues across Government to examine further appropriate supports to assist businesses impacted by Covid-19.

State Aid

Questions (442)

Robert Troy

Question:

442. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she is considering making a request to the Directorate General for Competition for relaxation of state aid rules following confirmation by the European Commissioner for Trade that the EU could sign off on financial supports for companies if a member state requested a relaxation of such rules based on evidence showing the way in which a particular business or industry was affected by a Covid-19 outbreak (details supplied). [4381/20]

View answer

Written answers

My Department is responding rapidly to put in place appropriate supports for businesses that have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 and continues to explore every available avenue for the delivery of further supports.

On 19th March 2020 the Commission approved a Temporary State Aid Framework under Article 107 (3)(b) TFEU (aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State). Schemes and/or individual aid measures notified under this framework will be processed by the Commission within days.

The purpose of the Framework is to provide temporary, limited amounts of aid to undertakings that find themselves facing a sudden shortage or even unavailability of liquidity which is appropriate, necessary and targeted.

Ireland’s inputs into the development of the Temporary State Aid Framework and subsequent amendments was coordinated by the State Aid Unit in my Department. This included engagement with the Commission on the two subsequent amendments to the Temporary Framework, the first of which was adopted on 3rd April 2020 and the second was adopted on 8th May 2020. These amendments have provided Member States with additional options to tackle the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Options available under the Temporary Framework (as amended on 8th May 2020) are:

1. Direct Grants, Repayable Advances or Tax Advantages (equity and loans are now also available as per the amendment of 3rd April 2020) up to €800,000 per undertaking.

2. Loan Guarantee Schemes

3. Aid in The Form of Subsidised Interest Rates for Loans

4. Recapitalisation measures in the form of equity or hybrid capital instruments such as convertible bonds.

5. Subordinated debt measures.

Under section 3.1 of the Temporary Framework, DBEI notified and received approval on 31st March 2020 for €200m Sustaining Enterprise (Repayable Advances) Scheme to be operated by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland and to provide repayable advances of up to €800,000 available to firms within the manufacturing and/or internationally traded services sectors.

Following the first amendment to the Framework and given the greater flexibilities offered under these amendments, the Repayable Advances scheme was re-notified to the Commission as the Sustaining Enterprise Scheme under which the EI/IDA repayable advances fund (Sustaining Enterprise Fund), now expanded, operates. The Sustaining Enterprise Scheme will provide the opportunity to support enterprises with less than 10 employees and includes a broader range of measures under which aid can be granted. Supports already available under existing State aid rules include:

- Covid-19 loans of up to €50,000 from Microfinance Ireland for micro enterprises. Loans are available at an interest rate of between 4.5% and 5.5%, with the first six months interest and repayment free. Businesses can apply through their nearest LEO or directly at microfinanceireland.ie

- The SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme s opened for eligibility applications on 23 March. The maximum loan size under the scheme is €1.5m (first €500,000 unsecured) and the maximum interest rate is set at 4%. Eligibility criteria apply. Applications can be made through the SBCI website at sbci.gov.ie

- The Credit Guarantee Scheme supports loans of up to €1m for periods of up to seven years. Applications can be made to AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank.

In addition to the new package of liquidity measures announced by the Minister last week, including for micro-enterprises, the full range of Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and Údarás na Gaeltachta grant and advisory supports continue to be available to eligible firms to help with strategies to access finance, commence or ramp-up online trading activity, reconfigure business models, cut costs, innovate, diversify markets and supply chains and to improve competitiveness. Government will continue to explore funding potential at EU level, as necessary, for all enterprises including micro-enterprises, through funding mechanisms such as the European Regional Development Fund and through the EU’s temporary state aid framework.

My officials will continue to work with the Commission and with our Enterprise Agencies to ensure that enterprises are supported during this extraordinary and difficult time.

Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland

Questions (443)

James Lawless

Question:

443. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to extend the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland loan scheme in order that applicants can access the scheme. [4405/20]

View answer

Written answers

My Department supports a number of different loan schemes operated by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland. These include the Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme, the Credit Guarantee Scheme, the Future Growth Loan Scheme and the Brexit Loan Scheme.

The SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme was announced on 11 March and opened for eligibility applications on 23 March. The Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme is offered by my Department in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and is supported by the InnovFin SME Guarantee facility. The scheme is operated by the SBCI. It currently makes available a fund of up to €200m to eligible businesses that have been negatively affected by impacts arising from the outbreak of Covid-19 to enable those businesses to innovate, change or adapt in response to the current business environment.

Following my further announcement on April 8 this Scheme is now being expanded to make available an additional €250 million in lending, which will bring the total amount of lending available under this scheme to €450 million.

The current Credit Guarantee Scheme aims to assist viable SMEs, which under normal lending criteria are unable to borrow from their bank, in accessing credit. The scheme operates by providing an 80% guarantee to participating finance providers (currently AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank) on qualifying facilities to SMEs.

On 2 May, I announced a €2 billion COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme to support lending to SMEs for terms ranging from 3 months to 6 years, which will be below market interest rates. This scheme will include primary producers.

The Future Growth Loan Scheme (FGLS) makes up to €300 million of loans available with a term of 8-10 years and is operated by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) though participating lenders. My Department developed this scheme in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Finance provided under the scheme is competitively priced and offered at favourable terms, for example no security required for loans up to €500,000. We have seen strong demand for the scheme since its launch in April 2019 across all sectors and regions including in exporting businesses and family businesses.

The initial €300m funding for the FGLS has been almost fully subscribed, supporting a significant level of strategic investment by businesses. On 8 April, I announced a further expansion of this scheme and my Department is now working through the details of a significant expansion to bring this funding to market as soon as possible.

The Brexit Loan Scheme continues to provide funding for businesses that have been demonstrably impacted by negative affects arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Protected Disclosures

Questions (444)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

444. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of protected disclosures her Department has received since the legislation was introduced; the number of protected disclosures examined to conclusion by year in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5298/20]

View answer

Written answers

The number of matters raised in my Department under Protected Disclosures legislation since the Protected Disclosures Act came into effect on 15th July 2014 is set out in the following table.

Year

Total Issues Raised

Action Taken

2014/2015

3

2 Examined to conclusion1 Referred to another Department and individual advised

2016

4

3 Examined to conclusion1 Referred to another Department and individual advised

2017

4

2 Examined to conclusion2 Referred to another Department and individual advised

2018

1

1 Examined to conclusion

2019

2

2 Examined to conclusion

2020 (To mid-May)

1

1 Under ongoing review

National Economic and Social Council

Questions (445)

Gerald Nash

Question:

445. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the recent report number 19 by the NESC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5474/20]

View answer

Written answers

I welcome the publication of NESC’s report on vulnerable employment and Just Transition last month. The report is an insightful and interesting piece of work which my Department actively contributed to during its development.

The vision of the report is to ensure that Ireland, in the face of economic changes, is a resilient, sustainable, thriving net zero economy that uses innovation and collective preparedness to shape the future that we all want to achieve. The goals outlined in the report, such as encouraging the State to drive the creation of a high-quality jobs economy and proactively addressing employment vulnerability, are fundamental aspects of the work that we do in my Department.

My Department is reviewing the report and its recommendations in detail for a national approach to achieving a Just Transition, both in the shifts toward increased digitalisation and a low carbon economy. I believe that it will be important to ensure that any national approach to transition is closely connected to the regions and the communities affected. As such, my Department has already engaged with the Just Transition Commissioner for the Midlands both directly and through the agencies and offices in the Midlands.

My Department is already engaged in a number of the activities outlined in the report as being key drivers of the response to Just Transition. In particular, the work that this Department has done to date on building resilient enterprises and advocating for continuous pre-emptive workforce development, will aid smoother transitions in the future. In addition, both embracing innovation and technological change and transitioning to a low carbon economy were key pillars of Future Jobs 2019 and progress was achieved on a number of ambitions and deliverables in these areas. The challenge ahead will be to build on this work to aid the transition to increasingly digitalised and low carbon economy.

Departmental Strategies

Questions (446)

Gerald Nash

Question:

446. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to produce and implement a unified SME and entrepreneurship policy document with stated strategic objectives, budgets, activities and measurable targets as recommended by the OECD and NESC report number 19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5476/20]

View answer

Written answers

I met with the OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria in March 2018 to discuss my key priorities for the OECD Review which I commissioned on SME and Entrepreneurship Policy in Ireland. I wanted an external view of how our SME sector is performing, the strengths and weaknesses of our indigenous businesses, where the relevant programmes are working, and where we may need to consider policy changes.

My Department played a central role throughout the process, organising stakeholder events enabling detailed engagement between DBEI, other Government Departments, agencies, academia, business representatives, and the small business sector. This allowed the OECD to gain valuable insight into our small business ecosystem at the various critical stages of the Review.

This Review, which I published in October 2019, provides pivotal new research examining the policy environment for SMEs and entrepreneurship in Ireland, the scale of which has not been delivered before.

Since then, I have been working with my Department officials on how best to progress implementation of the key recommendations outlined in the OECD Review, with a view to the adoption of a national SME and Entrepreneurship Strategy. Specific recommendations made regarding the development of mechanisms to assist SMEs and entrepreneurs in such areas as lifelong learning, financial management and digital skills have never been more imperative to the future of our entrepreneurial ecosystem than now.

The current crisis reminds us of the importance of these objectives and the challenging circumstances which have been thrust upon our small business sector by the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The significant work undertaken during the Review is assisting my Department’s ability to respond and put in place measures to ensure businesses have sufficient liquidity to see them through this crisis. A major part of my Department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been to expand access to finance supports to ensure businesses have sufficient liquidity to see them through these current highly challenging circumstances.

I have no doubt that our strong relationships with SME stakeholders, which we relied upon during the OECD Review engagement and more recently in our continuing response to the Covid-19 pandemic, will prove informative and beneficial to the delivery of future policy in the SME and Entrepreneurship sector for Ireland.

The formation and implementation of all policy related initiatives, including that of an SME and Entrepreneurship Strategy, will be addressed in the context of a new Programme for Government by the incoming Government.

I have and will continue to advocate on behalf of our SMEs. I remain committed to using all available tools currently at my disposal to support our small business ecosystem in all regions across the country.

Departmental Offices

Questions (447)

Peter Burke

Question:

447. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if there are vacancies in the offices of her Department at a location (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5492/20]

View answer

Written answers

My Department directly employs over 900 staff, mainly located in Dublin, Carlow and Kilkenny. The Department also has a small presence, through the work of the Workplace Relations Commission, in Sligo, Cork and Ennis. The Department has no offices located in Longford or Westmeath.

Currently, there are Clerical Officer vacancies in the Dublin Offices only.

Brexit Supports

Questions (448)

Seán Haughey

Question:

448. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the uptake of all Brexit related supports under the remit of her Department in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5506/20]

View answer

Written answers

Since the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, my Department and its agencies have worked to put a wide range of Brexit supports in place for businesses. The suite of enterprise and finance supports in place cover the spectrum of potential Brexit impacts and aims to assist businesses in identifying key risk areas and the practical preparatory actions to be taken.

The Government’s suite of Brexit supports includes preparedness vouchers, consultancy and mentoring supports, tariff advisory services, research on new markets and innovation supports through Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices and InterTradeIreland. Supports and advice are also available from the National Standards Authority of Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority, IDA Ireland, Revenue, Skillnet Ireland, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, Bord Bia and Fáilte Ireland.

Of my Department's suite of supports, the €300m Brexit Loan Scheme is designed to address working capital challenges brought about by Brexit. The Brexit Loan Scheme provides affordable working capital to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees that are or will be Brexit impacted and which meet the scheme criteria. The €23 million exchequer funding announced in the 2018 Budget (€14 million from my Department and €9 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) has been leveraged through the European Investment Fund (EIF) InnovFin guarantee to provide a fund of up to €300 million over the lifetime of the scheme.

The scheme features a two-stage application process. First, businesses must apply to the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) to confirm their eligibility for the scheme. The SBCI assesses the applications and successful applicants receive an eligibility reference number.

Successful applicants can then apply for a loan under the scheme with one of the participating finance providers using their eligibility reference number. Approval of loans is subject to the finance providers' own credit policies and procedures.

The Future Growth Loan Scheme (FGLS) was launched in April 2019 to provide for €300m in longer- term lending to SMEs, mid-caps and farmers. The scheme leverages €62 million of State funding (€37 million from DBEI and €25 million from DAFM) with a further €1 million payable in management fees to the European Investment Fund (which is part of the EIB Group). Based on the contribution by DAFM to the scheme, a target of 40% of total lending is geared to farmers and the food sector.

The FGLS is delivered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) through participating finance providers. The SBCI provides an uncapped guarantee of 80% to the participating financial providers. The scheme is underpinned by a 64% counter-guarantee to the SBCI from the EIF. This counter-guarantee provides significant risk protection to the Exchequer against potential losses from the loan guarantee scheme.

The uptake of the scheme has significantly surpassed expectations, such that the initial €300m funding for the FGLS scheme has been almost fully subscribed, supporting a significant level of strategic investment by businesses. One of the participating financial providers lenders has remaining capacity and businesses seeking loan approval are being directed towards this lender.

On 8 April, I announced that this scheme would be expanded by a further €200m to facilitate longer-term lending to Covid-19-impacted businesses and my Department is working through the details of this expansion and will bring this funding to market as soon as possible.

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) have organised workshops, seminars and training to assist companies to better understand the challenges of Brexit and have a range of supports to help clients to respond to those challenges, to become more competitive, and to source new markets.

The main Brexit supports available for micro and small companies available through the LEOs include:

- A ‘Technical Assistance for Micro-enterprises’ grant designed to support qualifying businesses to diversify into new markets, enabling companies to explore and develop new market opportunities.

- A ‘Lean for Micro’ programme available nationwide to help small businesses become more efficient and competitive.

- Tailored mentoring to address Brexit related business challenges.

- Targeted training on specific Brexit challenges , including financial aspects and capability building in innovation, competitiveness and opportunity diagnosis.

- Provision of customs training workshops in locations across the country

Notwithstanding the difficulty’s businesses are currently experiencing during the COVID-19 crisis, it is worth noting that businesses still recognise the importance of preparing for Brexit. However, the uptake of LEO Brexit Supports has seen a decline on last year’s figures since the intervention of COVID -19 as business are implementing new strategies on how to continue their business amidst public health concerns. Nationally and regionally, the 31 local LEO offices continue to provide information, advice and guidance.

Enterprise Ireland has developed and launched a number of supports and initiatives to assist companies to navigate the challenges and opportunities posed by Brexit including the following:

- Brexit Scorecard: an interactive online platform which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit under six business pillars. 7,160 Brexit Scorecards have been completed to date.

- Be Prepared Grant: designed for Enterprise Ireland clients who would benefit from further research and external expertise in examining their exposure to Brexit and exploring ways of addressing this. The grant supports the costs of SME clients up to €5k in preparing a plan to mitigate risks and optimise opportunities arising from Brexit. 251 Be Prepared Grants have been approved to date.

- Act On Programme: has been developed to focus on three main areas of capability (1) Financial and Currency Management (2) Strategic Sourcing and (3) Customs and Logistics. This initiative will assist companies decide on specific actions over a short period to address some of the risks and opportunities from Brexit. 370 Act On plans have been completed to date.

- Market Discovery Fund: supports companies in their market diversification plans. The grant aims to incentivise companies to research viable and sustainable market entry strategies. 248 Companies have been approved under this initiative.

- Online Customs Insights course : aims to help businesses understand how customs works including the documentation and processes required to operate and succeed post-Brexit. There have been 2,012 Customs Insights Course participants to date.

- The Brexit Advisory Clinics took place nationwide providing information and practical support through individual meetings across the following areas; Strategic Sourcing, Financial & Currency Management and Customs Transport & Logistics.

- Clear Customs Financial Support: Enterprise Ireland administered the Clear Customs Financial Support to help address the costs of building customs processing capability within business. 214 companies have been approved support under this initiative.

InterTradeIreland provides a range of Brexit supports and advice through its Brexit Advisory Service. InterTradeIreland also offers two Brexit Vouchers. The first of these is a Brexit Planning voucher which provides 100% financial support towards professional advice to help Businesses identify Brexit exposures and to plan.

The second is a Brexit Implementation voucher, which provides financial support up to £5,000/€5,625 to allow businesses to implement critical changes, making them better prepared to deal with a new trading relationship post-Brexit. InterTradeIreland pays 50% of the cost of this voucher.

As well support through voucher funding, the Brexit Advisory Service also offer a tailor-made on-line learning tool, a tariff checker, glossary of key Brexit terminology, research, networking and information events.

My Department, in association with the Department of Education and Skills and key industry partners, also have a support measure to help customs agents, intermediaries and affected Irish businesses develop the capacity to deal with the additional customs requirements due to the UK’s departure from the EU. The initiative called Clear Customs comprises of a training programme and a customs financial support to assist with the costs of recruiting and assigning new staff to customs roles.

In addition, the Government has held over 100 Brexit information seminars and events. I have convened roundtable discussions with the main retail grocery and distribution players to better understand contingency planning within the sector on food supply. Revenue, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Dublin Port and relevant Government Departments also attend these meetings.

The continued uncertainty around Brexit continues to represent a significant challenge for businesses in Ireland already under pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic. I want businesses, particularly those most impacted by Brexit and Covid-19, to know my Department and its agencies are here to help.

Scheme

Uptake at 5 May 2020 (except where otherwise noted)

Brexit Loan Scheme

1,085 eligibility applications received, of which 967 have been approved, 24 deemed ineligible and 94 in process. 256 loans have been sanctioned at bank level to the value of €52.2 million (as of 24th of April 2020)

Future Growth Loan Scheme

3,364 eligibility applications received, of which 3,197 have been approved, 15 deemed ineligible and 149 in process. 1,041 loans have been sanctioned at bank level to the value of €221.3 million (with a further €86.9 million in the pipeline for sanctioning) (as of 24th of April 2020)

Enterprise Ireland Brexit Scorecard - online platform for Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit

7,160 Brexit Scorecards have been completed. 1,848 LEO clients have completed the scorecard.

Enterprise Ireland Be Prepared Grant

251 Be Prepared Grants have been approved

Enterprise Ireland Market Discovery Fund - A support to EI clients to research new markets

248 Companies have been approved under this initiative

Enterprise Ireland Prepare to Export Scorecard

7,423 Prepare to Export Scorecard users

Enterprise Ireland Customs Insights Online Course

2,012 Customs Insights Course participants

Enterprise Ireland Agile Innovation Fund - Gives rapid fast-track access to innovation funding

100 Agile Innovation projects have been approved

Enterprise Ireland Brexit Advisory Clinics

16 Brexit Advisory Clinics have been run with over 1,200 in attendance

Enterprise Ireland Brexit “Act On Programme” – A support funding the engagement of a consultant to devise report with recommendations to help clients address weaknesses and improve resilience

370 Act On plans have been completed

Enterprise Ireland Strategic Consultancy Grant – A grant to assist EI clients to hire a strategic consultant for a set period

1,114 Strategic Consultancy Grants have been approved

Enterprise Ireland Clear Customs Grant

214 companies have been approved financial support under this initiative

Local Enterprise Office Technical Assistance Grant for Micro Export - an incentive for LEO clients to explore and develop new market opportunities

1,003 clients were approved assistance under the Technical Assistance Grant as of the 30th April 2020

Local Enterprise Office LEAN for Micro - The LEO Lean4Micro offer was developed in collaboration between the EI Lean department and the LEOs to tailor the EI Lean offer for LEO micro enterprise clients

577 LEO clients have participated in the programme as of the 30th April 2020

Local Enterprise Office Mentoring

1,438 mentoring participants solely focused on Brexit as of the 30th April 2020

Local Enterprise Office Brexit Seminars/Events

7,299 participants at the Brexit Information events as of the 30th April 2020

Customs Training Participants

1,824 participants attended Customs Training as of the 30th April 2020

InterTradeIreland Brexit Advisory Service

415 SMEs have directly engaged with the Brexit Advisory Service in 2020. This is in addition to the 5,416 engagements in 2019 and 4,175 in 2018.

InterTradeIreland Brexit Planning Vouchers

2,180 applications, with 1,882 approved and 3 still pending assessment.

InterTradeIreland Brexit Implementation Vouchers

64 applications, with 46 approved.

Pilot Online Retail Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland

11 retailers were awarded funding in March 2019 under Call1. A second call of the Scheme closed on the 31 July 2019. 29 retailers were awarded funding under Call 2. The Pilot Online Retail Scheme has now concluded.

Air Ambulance Service Funding

Questions (449, 796)

Seán Fleming

Question:

449. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if funding will be provided to an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5294/20]

View answer

Michael McGrath

Question:

796. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position in relation to State funding for a service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5293/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 449 and 796 together.

The Munster Helicopter Emergency Medical Service referred to by the Deputy is provided by Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) under a Service Level Agreement with the HSE. Under the terms of this SLA, the ICRR committed to fund all maintenance, repairs, fuel and other expenses incurred in the provision of the transportation element of the service, while the National Ambulance Service (NAS) committed to provide the clinical staff and consumables. It was never envisaged that Exchequer funding would be required, or would be available, to subvent the ICRR service. The decision to proceed with the service arrangement was contingent on the contribution of the charity to the cost of the operation of the service.

The position is that at this stage it would not be possible to provide funding to the ICRR to continue to operate the service. Any decision to provide exchequer funding would be dependent on detailed consideration by the NAS/HSE and the Department of Health of the service need and potential costs. Such a decision would also be subject to public procurement rules.

I understand that ICRR has advised the NAS that they intend to continue to provide the service on a five-day basis for an interim period. This is welcomed, as is the NAS’s commitment to continue to engage with ICRR on an ongoing basis.

Disability Services Funding

Questions (450)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

450. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if the €60,000 cut in funding for an association (details supplied) will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3913/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.

As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.

Medical Aids and Appliances Applications

Questions (451)

Maurice Quinlivan

Question:

451. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health the length of time a person (details supplied) will have to wait for funding to be approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3916/20]

View answer

Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Services Funding

Questions (452)

Mary Butler

Question:

452. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the budget for Sláintecare for 2020; the priority areas to which the funding will be allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3924/20]

View answer

Written answers

As committed to in the Action Plan for 2019, Sláintecare has developed proposals for multi-annual capital and current funding, including a transition fund, to support health care reform. Following Budget 2020, the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office have been resourced with a total of €45.5 million in 2020 (with an additional €50 million in 2021) in order to progress the resourcing of enhanced community care under the capacity planning framework, and in supporting care redesign initiatives.

There is a commitment to provide €10 million in 2020, with a further committed total of €60 million in 2021, to support the development of enhanced community care that will effect a shift in care from the acute sector to the community. The additional full-year funding will provide for up to 1,000 therapists, nurses, dementia advisors and other professionals in the community. There will be also be resources of €12 million to support care redesign initiatives, along with the existing €23.5 million provided to the SPIO in 2019.

Health Services Funding

Questions (453)

Mary Butler

Question:

453. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the amount allocated and drawn down each year to date under the Sláintecare programme in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3925/20]

View answer

Written answers

Prior to 2019, all Sláintecare related funding was provided from the core administrative spending subhead within the Department of Health, with staff costs being met by the core Department of Health payroll. Since Budget 2019, a separate subhead has been created for Sláintecare specific measures under the ‘Health Care Reform’ heading (subhead II. H in the Revised Estimates Volume of Vote 38). The following table details the spending and profile for Sláintecare under subhead II. H in Vote 38.

Total Spend

Total Annual Budget

€000

€000

2019*

Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office (SPIO) and Integration Fund Programmes

€11,012

€23,500

Spend to End-April

Profile to end-April

Total Annual Budget

€000

€000

€000

2020**

SPIO, Integration Fund, Enhanced Community Care Fund and Care Redesign Fund

€2,248

€5,161

€45,500

* The underspend was primarily as a result of timing-related issues in the establishment period of the Sláintecare Integration Fund and the staffing of the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office.

** The spending in 2020 is currently under profile as of end-April, which is mainly due to timing issues. It is expected that spending will return to profile within 2020.

Health Services Funding

Questions (454)

Mary Butler

Question:

454. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the Sláintecare programme can be implemented in full within its planned ten year cycle; if not, when it will be fully implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3926/20]

View answer

Written answers

I obtained Government approval in July 2018 for the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy to deliver the vision outlined for our health system in the Sláintecare Report produced by the Future Healthcare Committee.

The Implementation Strategy recognises that strong leadership and clear governance will be essential to success and it clearly sets out the implementation and governance structures for Sláintecare. The Minister for Health is accountable to the Oireachtas for implementation and will report regularly on progress. The Cabinet Committee on Health, chaired by the Taoiseach will provide overall strategic direction and will oversee implementation, ensuring leadership at the highest level.

The Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office was established in the Department of Health, and drives the implementation of the Strategy. The office is led by an Executive Director, and is resourced with a team to deliver the reform programme. The Office has established the programme of reform as approved by Government and has begun to put in place the governance arrangements, processes, structures and resources to implement the reform across 2018 and 2019.

The goal of the agreed Oireachtas all-party 10-year plan for Sláintecare is to enable the delivery of the Right Care, in the Right Place at the Right Time by the Right Team, at low or no cost. The 2019 Sláintecare Action Plan set out detailed timeframes for 138 projects that were to be progressed in 2019, as the first full year in the implementation of the Sláintecare vision, and firmly established a programmatic approach to the delivery of the Sláintecare strategy. Of the 138 projects for the period up to December 2019, 112 were on track, 24 have been progressed with minor challenges, and 2 with significant challenge. This work has been carried out by many stakeholders, including from the Department of Health, the HSE, the voluntary and community bodies and key partners. It represents a concerted effort to deliver on the all-party vision and provides a strong foundation for moving forward into 2020, and beyond.

Foundational Decisions in 2019

During 2019, a series of important Sláintecare reform Government decisions have been made, including the agreement:

1. on the geographies for the six new regional health areas which is a first major step towards restructuring our health services in line with recommendation in the Oireachtas Committee report, which is informing the development of a detailed business case for consideration by Government;

2. to support the findings of the Independent Review Group established to examine private activity in public hospitals with the decision and announcement that all future consultant appointments, from mid-2020, will be to the new Sláintecare Consultant contract for public only work;

3. on revised GP contractual arrangements in April 2019, which will see a €210 million investment (40% increase) in General Practice over the next four years of which €80 million will be available for the management of chronic diseases, like diabetes and COPD, through family doctors. This is expected to benefit more than 400,000 patients;

4. on the strengthening of the HSE with the formal appointment of the Health Service Executive (HSE) Board in June 2019 and the introduction of a new HSE Chief Executive Officer.

Moving into the second full year of implementation and building on the foundations put in place in 2019, the Sláintecare Programme will work on three priority reform programmes for 2020. These programmes are carefully planned to be delivered over a number of years, and will:

- continue the reorganisation of the HSE into Regional Health Areas, which will deliver integrated patient-centred services that are safe, local and fairly distributed;

- implement the recommendations of the Capacity Review 2018, encompassing both investment, as well as resource optimisation which will reduce waiting times and develop extra capacity for population growth in the health and social care system; and

- examine the eligibility and entitlement to health and social care services of our citizens to make sure cost is not a barrier to getting care in a timely manner.

The past year has seen the delivery of the majority of actions committed for 2019, the first full year of the ten-year Sláintecare strategy. To succeed, Sláintecare requires the long-term commitment of targeted and protected funding and support to enable the delivery of the reform programme. This funding will be invested strategically and will support the overall vision for reform, with a consistent focus on effectiveness, efficiency and value for money. In parallel, with Government commitment to funding, there is a requirement on all parts of the health delivery system to optimise the use of the scarce resources already made available to it. Thus, a two-pronged approach to reform is being undertaken: one of investment and one of resource optimisation.

Long-Term Illness Scheme Coverage

Questions (455)

James Browne

Question:

455. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health his plans to add Crohn's disease as a qualifying illness for the long-term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3937/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Long Term Illness Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). The conditions covered by the LTI are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. Under the scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge.

There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the scheme at this time. However, I wish to inform the Deputy that it is proposed that the LTI Scheme would be included as part of a review of the basis for existing hospital and medication charges, to be carried out under commitments given in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy.

For people who are not eligible for the LTI Scheme, there are other arrangements which protect them from excessive medicine costs.

Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €124 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals with ongoing expenditure on medicines.

People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be entitled to a medical card. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.

People who are not eligible for a medical card may still be able to avail of a GP visit card, which covers the cost of GP consultations.

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