I propose to take Questions Nos. 1257 and 1258 together.
My Department’s Trading Online Voucher Scheme, administered by the national network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices, offers a financial incentive of up to €2,500 along with training, mentoring and networking support, to help small and micro enterprises to trade online.
The number of vouchers provided by LEO's from 2014 to date and the amount expended from 2014 to 2016 are as follows:
Year
|
No. of Vouchers Approved by LEO's
|
Amount Expended by the Department
|
2014
|
593
|
€ 665,196
|
2015
|
1,184
|
€1,871,967
|
2016
|
1,154
|
€1,890,513
|
2017
|
587
|
-
|
I have allocated a budget of €3m to the Trading Online Voucher Scheme in 2017.