Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1240. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the way in which her Department plans to offset the impact of Brexit in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33620/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraA key priority for my Department is building strong, resilient companies throughout Ireland with the capacity to provide sustainable employment and quality jobs. By helping companies to innovate and scale we prepare them to withstand the impact of Brexit and avail of any resulting opportunities. My Department, through the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and Enterprise Ireland (EI), provides a range of supports to help strengthen companies in all regions.
The 31 LEOs nationwide have organised a range of events to assist their client companies prepare for challenges presented by Brexit. A range of measures are being put in place to supplement the existing LEO supports, including:
- Technical assistance support to help micro enterprises source new markets;
- A national Lean for Micro initiative to drive firm level competitiveness;
- Brexit-focused mentoring and training initiatives;
- Local level awareness raising and information sharing seminars and workshops about Brexit, including Regional Market Diversification Seminars, and cross-border business networking; and
- The provision of tailored mentoring by specialised mentor panels.
The LEO Competitive Fund approved €50,000 to LEOs in the South East (Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford) for a Growth Accelerator Pilot Programme which was run from March to November 2017. It was led and managed by LEO Wexford. The rationale for the programme was to fast-track the growth efforts of SMEs in these regions that are considered to have significant growth potential. Three clients of LEO Wexford completed the programme.
In 2017, the LEO Wexford supported 213 clients, representing 1,348 total jobs. This was a gross increase of 238 jobs compared to 2016.
Regarding EI, as of 2017, 4,670 people were employed in the 122 supported plants in Wexford. This is an increase of 117 on the previous year. In the period 2015-2017, EI paid €5.3 million to client companies in Wexford to help offset the impact of Brexit by innovating, improving competitiveness, and diversifying their global footprint. These are key actions businesses can take to help offset the impact of Brexit.
To build resilience to economic shocks, EI has introduced the following:
- Market Discovery Fund – Launched in January 2018, the Market Discovery Fund supports Enterprise Ireland clients research new markets for products and services. The fund is designed to help companies of all sizes to meet the key challenges of market research. There are three levels of funding available to companies: up to €35,000, up to €75,000 and up to €150,000.
- The Agile Innovation Fund – Launched in November 2017, the Agile Innovation Fund gives companies rapid fast-track access to innovation funding, and up to 50% in support for product, process or service development projects with a total cost of up to €300,000. The new measure has been introduced by Enterprise Ireland for companies to respond more quickly to market opportunities and challenges, including those posed by Brexit.
In addition, EI is undertaking a programme to promote companies’ awareness of, and level of preparedness to Brexit. This activity has included:
- Be Prepared Grant: Launched in June 2017, EI’s Be Prepared Grant supports the costs of SME clients in preparing a plan to mitigate risks and optimise opportunities arising from Brexit. This grant support, of up to €5,000, can be used to help cover consultancy, travel and out of pocket expenses associated with researching the direction of their Brexit action plan.
- The Act On Programme was launched in January 2018. This programme provides an independent consultant to companies for a course of two half day to assist them decide on specific actions over a short period to address some of the risks and opportunities from Brexit.
By supporting companies in Wexford to build resilience, innovate and diversify their exports, my Department and its agencies are enabling them to offset the impact of Brexit, and strengthen their businesses to succeed into the future.
