Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Investment Commitments to SME Sector: National Treasury Management Agency

2:35 pm

Mr. Nick Ashmore:

Some of the funds will go down to €2 million in terms of investment. One of the challenges we are currently experiencing, on which we are working, is trying to identify ways in which we can deploy capital towards proposals of below €2 million. There are many small SMEs in this country, towards which other Government measures such as Microfinance Ireland and the loan guarantee scheme are targeted. If we can find a way, commercially, to deploy capital in this area, be that through an invoice discounting facility or a trade financial facility and so on, we will seek to do that.