Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
723. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of grant funding or financial assistance her Department and associated agencies have provided to counties Longford and Westmeath in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35135/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are distributed as evenly as possible across the country. Counties Longford and Westmeath have experienced significant gains in both employment and investment in recent years with a comprehensive range of supports provided to companies by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices.
IDA Ireland is authorised by my Department to provide a range of financial supports in the form of employment, capital, research and development, environmental and training grants. These grants are an important means of encouraging companies to invest in Ireland, particularly in regional locations.
Enterprise Ireland supports companies in urban and rural areas to start, innovate and remain competitive in international markets, now and into the future. Enterprise Ireland is actively working with companies with global ambition in Longford and Westmeath to drive competitiveness, innovation and market diversification.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) provide a range of supports for the micro and small business sector. The LEOs act as the “first-stop-shop” for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own business.
The tables below outline the amount of grant funding allocated to client companies in Co. Longford and Co. Westmeath by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland from 2016 to 2018, and funding allocated by my Department to the Local Enterprise Offices in Co. Longford and Co. Westmeath in the years 2016 to date.
Table A: Co. Longford
|
|
IDA Ireland |
Enterprise Ireland |
Local Enterprise Office |
|
2016 |
€169,542 |
€1,004,560 |
€541,507 |
|
2017 |
€3,297,973 |
€1,076,148 |
€668,046 |
|
2018 |
€2,440,323 |
€4,000,876 |
€730,034 |
|
2019 (to date) |
* |
* |
€657,389 |
Table B: Co. Westmeath
|
|
IDA Ireland |
Enterprise Ireland |
Local Enterprise Office |
|
2016 |
€1,768,687 |
€1,537,281 |
€980,884 |
|
2017 |
€2,078,588 |
€1,162,769 |
€1,107,985 |
|
2018 |
€3,146,661 |
€1,226,009 |
€1,109,555 |
|
2019 (to date) |
* |
* |
€875,421 |
*Information on grant amounts for 2019 will not be available until they have been audited by Comptroller and Auditor General in the second quarter of 2020.
In addition to the above, Enterprise Ireland has approved funding for a number of projects in Co Longford and Co. Westmeath under Calls 1 and 2 of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF).
Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR), a not for profit CLG company that was formed in 2014 with the mission to facilitate significant growth and job creation in the Irish manufacturing sector, was successful under Call 1 of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. This received €2,165,280 in 2018.
The Longford Innovation & Digital Hub received €1,284,000 in 2018 under Call 1 of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. This project approved for funding is part of a joint proposal linked with projects in Cavan and Leitrim.
Furthermore, in 2018, funding of €26.75m was announced for the Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Network over the five-year period from 2018-2022. The network consists of 15 individual Gateways, each hosted by an Institute of Technology, including Applied Polymer Technologies and COMAND - Connected Media based in Athlone Institute of Technology.
