Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are smaller players working through Enterprise Ireland as well. We have a service level agreement with our local enterprise offices, LEOs. We are trying to increase the number of smaller companies exporting into the marketplace and we are giving them the tools to do that. That is why we have a strong vehicle in Enterprise Ireland whereby any smaller enterprise that is trying to get into the export market gets the support through our export strategy. We have seen growth in that area. I appreciate that it is a challenge for SMEs. That is why we are working with them, through Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs, on an export development strategy. In the years ahead the Deputy will see an improvement. The statistics are very good at present. As I outlined, this country's exports are very strong. Enterprise Ireland's figure of €35 billion is very strong and there is growth across many different sectors.