Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2017
179. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding allocated to the be prepared grant run by Enterprise Ireland; the number of applicants to date in 2017; and the number of grants awarded to date in 2017. [28170/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra180. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of businesses that have completed the Enterprise Ireland Brexit scorecard to date; and if the results of these scorecards will be published. [28171/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 180 together.
In March 2017, Enterprise Ireland (EI) launched its “Brexit SME Scorecard”. The Scorecard is a new interactive online platform which can be used by Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit. By completing the online questionnaire, the Brexit SME Scorecard will provide companies with an assessment of their preparedness under six key pillars - Business Strategy, Operations, Innovation, Sales and Marketing, Finance and People Management. The Scorecard then generates an immediate report which contains suggested actions, resources and information on events to attend, to prepare for Brexit. The SME Scorecard is available to all companies as a starting point for companies to develop an action plan to help mitigate risks and leverage opportunities which may arise from Brexit.
EI client companies that utilise the Brexit Scorecard will then be able to engage with the agency’s experts both domestically and through the overseas offices in global markets.
To date over 923 companies have used the EI Brexit Scorecard to help assess their level of preparedness for Brexit.
Because the scorecard is intended primarily as a tool for companies to self diagnose their preparedness for Brexit, it is not EI’s intention to publish any analysis of clients’ responses to the scorecard.
EI’s #PrepareforBrexit communications campaign also includes a “Be Prepared Grant” that supports the costs of EI’s SME clients in preparing a plan to mitigate risks and optimise opportunities. This Grant can be used to help cover consultancy, travel and out of pocket expenses associated with researching the direction of their Brexit action plan. This might involve developing new strategies to maintain and grow existing UK exports, investigating the feasibility of diversifying to new markets and market segments; investment in innovation; improvement in operational competitiveness; enhancement of strategic financial capability.
There have been a number of applications for the “Be Prepared Grant” and as the approvals come on stream over the next couple of months, Enterprise Ireland (EI) will report them. EI do not publish grant application information, only grant approvals information. This is standard practice for all grant approvals' processes.
EI is currently running a Brexit regional roadshow to encourage companies to examine their potential exposure to Brexit, complete the Scorecard and use the “Be Prepared Grant” to plan their strategic response to Brexit.
