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Small and Medium Enterprises Supports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 March 2018

Thursday, 8 March 2018

Ceisteanna (241)

James Browne

Ceist:

241. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the funding has been set aside in each of the past five years to address the issue of loneliness and social isolation in the SME sector; if her Department or agencies under the remit of her Department have funded research on the topic of loneliness and social isolation; if her Department or agencies under the remit of her Department have projects planned which would address the issues of loneliness or social isolation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11258/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Small and medium sized enterprises accounted for 99.8% of the total enterprise population for 2015. They also accounted for 69.1% of total persons engaged, with large enterprises (employing 250 or more persons) employing 30.9% of persons engaged. Nearly 28% of persons engaged work in micro companies (under 10 employees) but these companies accounted for over 92% of the 249,000 businesses in Ireland. This confirms that the majority of these micro businesses are sole traders or engaging 1-2 employees. Their businesses, ranging from construction to business services to logistics are essential to the operation of the business ecosystem in Ireland. 

When working by yourself, it is imperative for the well-being of that person to mix and interact with others, particularly those who share a common interest and in your local area. That is why networking is an excellent solution to possible loneliness and isolation for sole traders and those in the SME sector. The Local Enterprise Offices operate a number of different networks such as the Women in Business Network and the Business Network- where meetings are driven by the needs of the group.

Business owners of these micro companies are often time poor and are reluctant to use their time on something that they do not see a direct return in their profits. That is why my Department developed an online mapping of supports for small businesses, located on the website at

https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Business-Sectoral-Initiatives/Entrepreneurship-/Mapping-of-supports/.

In this mapping tool, there are 83 hubs and co-working spaces and 82 networking groups. There are also 75 community enterprise centres who are members of NACEC (The National Association of Community Enterprise Centres).

In addition, Enterprise Ireland has recently completed the €5m Community Enterprise Initiative Fund, stimulating and supporting enterprise and job creation at a local, community and regional level. This fund is part of the Government’s €250m Regional Enterprise Development Initiative aimed at accelerating economic recovery in every part of the country. Through the utilisation of existing infrastructure and the leveraging of nationally available enterprise supports, the specific objectives of the scheme include:

- Fostering an increased collaborative, networked and linked approach to regional and local enterprise development and job creation.

- Establishment of hubs, accelerators, networks and clusters or other partnerships based on regional strengths, opportunities and uniqueness.

- Proactively seeking out, encouraging and supporting applications from economically disadvantaged areas.

- Promotion of a progression pathway for companies as they start, develop and scale.

The above-mentioned initiatives alongside the Community Enterprise Centres and the networking organisations outlined can help to alleviate potential loneliness and isolation in the SME sector. It is important to promote the message that the hubs and co-working spaces are spread throughout the country. Business people who join these organisations will benefit not only from rich business connections but also the social aspect and connectivity that shared working spaces bring.

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