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Enterprise Support Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2020

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Ceisteanna (32)

Brendan Smith

Ceist:

32. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the measures he is taking to support small and medium enterprises in the Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15793/20]

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Freagraí scríofa

SMEs play a pivotal role in our economy and their role will be essential in getting people back to work and helping our economy to grow again. Therefore, helping our SMEs is central to my role as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

As you will be aware the Local Enterprise Offices operate in every county in Ireland including border counties and provide advice, information and support to businesses in starting up or growing their business.

The full range of Local Enterprise Office advisory supports continue to be available throughout the regions to eligible firms to help with strategies to access finance, commence or ramp-up online trading activity, reconfigure business models, cut costs, innovate, diversify markets and supply chains and to improve competitiveness.

Furthermore, the Border Enterprise Development Fund (BEDF) which was launched in January, and is administered by Enterprise Ireland on behalf of my Department provides support for collaborative, enterprise capability building projects, to advance entrepreneurship, productivity and innovation in the Border Region. The aim of the fund is to improve the international competitiveness of enterprise in the Border Region in the context of Brexit and other market challenges, which now also include COVID-19. The Fund is part of a €28 million economic stimulus package announced earlier this year for the six border counties of Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

On 22 June last, the then Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, named the 11 successful border county projects from the North East and North West of the country approved to share in the €17m Border Enterprise Development Fund 2020, an initiative administered for my Department by Enterprise Ireland.

Nineteen applications were received from project groups in Counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth with 11 projects selected for funding following a rigorous evaluation process. Four of the finalist projects will be based in Louth, two in Monaghan, two in Donegal, one in Cavan, one in Sligo and one in Leitrim.

The successful projects are closely aligned with the Strategic Objectives for enterprise development set out in the Regional Enterprise Plans for the North-East and the North West, particularly in relation to strengthening SME resilience and innovation, growing entrepreneurship, and creating quality jobs across the Border region.

Guided by the Regional Enterprise Plans, the border region is well positioned to continue to see the benefits and results of collaborative and innovative initiatives that can make a significant impact on enterprise development in the region. IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are continuing their important work in assisting businesses in the region to sustain and grow employment and also in winning new investments for the border counties.

In addition and as stated in the Programme for Government, we will bring forward a July Stimulus to support our economy and help restore employment. Our focus is to support the viability of the business and enterprise sector and to get people back to work as quickly as possible in all sectors and in all regions.

While I have emphasised the importance of preserving existing firms and jobs, the July Stimulus package should also have an eye to exploiting emerging opportunities and attract high value projects with significant economic benefits. Importantly, the July Initiative must position our economy and firms in all our regions to meet future challenges. In the near-term, this includes helping companies further in overcoming the challenges of Brexit but we also need to include measures that build enterprise resilience. This will have particular importance for the firms in our border regions.

All supports are currently being reviewed and assistance in the form of grants, including in preparation for Brexit will be considered.

I look forward to announcing the details of the July Stimulus package shortly.

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