Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This year it will be based on the commitments that they have. The offices have indicated where they can spend this money before the end of the year. Next year I have increased the budget by €5 million, and I will ask them to come forward with proposals at that stage on a competitive basis. We must ensure the money is spent well. The local enterprise offices have performed really well as being the first port of call for businesses. They give significant support to small and indigenous Irish companies and I am very supportive of the great work done by local enterprise offices. They are the first port of call and they introduce businesses to the supports out there that are made available by the Government. It might not always be about money and sometimes there could be information on soft supports and helping businesses to upskill their management structures or invest in research and development. Different supports are given and I have a huge regard for them. They have bedded in well to the local authority structure and there is a greater focus now in local authorities on enterprise and supporting businesses, which is always good. In the 2019 allocation of €5 million, we are asking these offices to roll out customs training for small and medium enterprises. We must step back in time to consider all these procedures we thought we would not need again.