Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 October 2018
27. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she will report on the uptake in the various schemes her Department offers to allow businesses to prepare for Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42548/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department and its Agencies offer a wide range of supports to allow businesses to prepare for Brexit. My commitment to ensuring businesses are as well prepared as possible is evidenced by the focus I placed on Brexit as part of my allocations under Budget 2019, including through Enterprise Ireland, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices, IDA Ireland and InterTrade Ireland and the advisory services in the NSAI and the HSA. My focus is on helping firms to improve their competitiveness, innovation and to diversify markets.
Research for my Department by Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A) indicates that 44% of Brexit impacted firms nationally have a plan in place as of mid-year. Enterprise Ireland report that 85% of clients have a plan in place and are taking action.
I want to increase the numbers of firms that have completed Brexit scenario planning, and secondly for those with a plan, my Department and agencies are available to work through ‘no regrets’ implementation actions by firms. We are also focusing on building capability in areas of customs and tariffs, supply chain, regulation and standards and employee movement issues. Minister Donohoe announced a package of over €110m for Brexit supports in Budget 2019.
There has been a significant uptake in these supports from my Department and agencies among businesses.
For instance, the ‘Brexit SME Scorecard’ is a new interactive online platform launched by Enterprise Ireland (EI) which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit. To date, close to 3,000 Brexit Scorecards have been completed.
The Be Prepared grant, also available through EI, offers SME clients a grant of up to €5,000 to assist them in preparing an action plan for economic shocks such as Brexit. The grant can be used to help cover consultancy, travel and travel expenses associated with researching the direction of their action plan. 137 Be Prepared Grants have so far been approved.
Enterprise Ireland has run 8 Brexit advisory clinics throughout the country to date. Approximately 590 people have attended these events to date and three more Clinics are due to take place before the end of the year in Dundalk, Waterford and Limerick.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) have organised various events to enable companies to learn about the potential impacts and opportunities of Brexit. 3,925 participants have taken part in these events. In addition, 263 LEO clients have received one-to-one mentoring solely focused on Brexit.
The LEOs engage in a number of other schemes to help companies prepare for Brexit. Technical Assistance Grants for Micro Export are offered as an incentive for LEO clients to explore and develop new market opportunities. 293 clients have been approved so far for this scheme.
204 Brexit SME Scorecards have been completed in this period by clients that identified themselves as LEO clients.
The Brexit Loan Scheme, launched in March this year, makes a fund of up to €300 million available to eligible businesses to help them innovate, change or adapt to mitigate their Brexit challenge. So far, there have been 262 applications to the Scheme, with 224 approved by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland.
InterTradeIreland’s Brexit Advisory Service was established in May 2017 to provide a focal point for SMEs, working to navigate the changes in cross-border trading relationships brought about by Brexit negotiations. To date the Brexit Advisory Service has engaged directly with some 2,350 SMEs.
These are just some of the schemes available under the auspices of my Department to help businesses prepare for Brexit.
