Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 April 2017
341. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she is taking to promote and support job creation through the small business sector with particular reference to the need to ensure the minimisation of practices likely to impede small businesses in counties Sligo and Leitrim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16915/17]
View answerThe Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and Enterprise Ireland (EI) are the main Agencies under the auspices of my Department that offer advice and support to the small business sector.
The LEOs are the ‘first-stop-shop’ State support service for micro and small businesses in each local area. The LEOs provide advice and direction, covering all government supports and requirements, to anyone who wishes to start or expand a business.
The LEOs can also provide funding for projects that meet certain criteria, generally with regard to export potential, and other non-financial supports such as training and mentoring. Businesses should contact their local LEO.
The Sligo and Leitrim LEOs are fully engaged in supporting the micro-enterprise and small business sectors in their areas to create and sustain jobs. In 2016, the number of jobs in micro-enterprises that had been supported by LEO Sligo and LEO Leitrim were 1,095 and 422 respectively.
Contact details and further information on the services available from the LEOs, including soft supports such as training and mentoring, can be accessed at www.localenterprise.ie.
Enterprise Ireland works in partnership with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. They provide funding and supports for companies - from entrepreneurs with business propositions for a high potential start-up through to large companies expanding their activities, improving efficiency and growing international sales. Availability of all EI supports are communicated via www.enterprise-ireland.coma and also through EI’s Development Advisors, EI Regional Offices and through public calls for applications.
EI companies currently support 1,546 and 922 jobs in Sligo and Leitrim respectively. EI job announcements in 2016 in the North West included LotusWorks (50 jobs in Sligo) and VistaMed (200 jobs in Leitrim).
In the area of access to finance, a range of initiatives has been introduced - from Microfinance Ireland to the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland and from the Credit Guarantee Scheme to the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund - and continued investment in seed and venture capital through Enterprise Ireland. These initiatives remain available and accessible to business and continue to provide increased access to credit and finance for Irish enterprise.
Micro and small enterprises can also access information on over 170 different Government supports that are available for Irish based start-ups and small businesses via the Supporting SMEs online tool. The online tool is a cross-governmental initiative to help start-ups and small businesses navigate the range of Government supports available. By answering the eight quick questions in the online tool, micro and small businesses will, in one location, be able to:
- Find out which of the over 170 Government business supports from 27 different Government Departments, Agencies and Initiatives are available to them; and
- Obtain information on the range of Government supports for accessing credit.
The online tool is an initiative developed under the Action Plan for Jobs and is available at: www.supportingsmes.ie.
