Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The trading online voucher was previously available to businesses of up to ten employees to help them move online, boost sales and access new markets. The Grow Digital voucher was then launched in September 2024 to be available to more businesses for more services, with more funding. In the 12 months since, there were only 150 applications across Ireland, with 139 approvals, so something is not working. The upper grant limit of €5,000 does not seem enough to incentivise cash-strapped SMEs to invest more of their own reserves in digital transition. It is not about the size of the budget allocation for the grant scheme; it seems to be the design. This is at a time when the EU Digital Decade reports are pointing to a worrying slowness in the pace of digital transition among Irish SMEs. I ask the Government to look at reform and a tiered system of grants, and to give an update on any plans to reform the scheme to deliver more effectively for Irish SMEs. They need access to digital supports more than ever.

See this speech in context