Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2020
109. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if additional funding will be available to local authorities that have exhausted their trading online voucher allowances for 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16095/20]
View answerThe Trading Online Voucher Scheme is managed by my Department and delivered nationwide in partnership with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Enterprise Ireland, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices and Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Scheme offers skills training, mentoring and a grant of up to €2,500 to help small and micro-businesses to develop their ecommerce capability.
The Scheme was launched nationally in mid-2014. By end 2019, some 6,400 small and micro businesses had completed, or were in the process of completing their trading online projects. In addition, 19,000 or so business owners-managers had benefitted from advice and peer-to-peer support through their participation in the information seminars delivered by the Local Enterprise Offices under the Scheme.
In response to Covid-19, funding for the Scheme in 2020 was increased from €2.3m to €19.8m, and new flexibilities were introduced including reducing the requirement for co-funding from 50% to 10% and allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one.
There has been continuing high demand for the Scheme and my Department in liaison with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Enterprise Ireland is working with the LEO network to address that demand. Funding for the Scheme is kept under review.
