Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will address the questions raised and that might lead to further questions or answer some. The most recent figures we have for the cost are the figures that Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to for 2021. Some €753 million was spent across 1,629 companies. September 2023 was when the final returns for 2022 would have come in. In April 2024, the figures for 2022 will be finalised and published. When looking at the profile of the companies that are claiming and the spread of case, while it is true to say the majority of the cost is in respect of what one might call larger companies, employing 250 people or more, more than 500 of the 1,600 companies have less than ten employees. Almost one third of the companies claiming the research and development credit have less than ten employees.