Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to his new role. It is great to see that one of the first acts he will oversee next Monday is the provision of the additional €3,000. There will be €8,000 available to hospitality and retail businesses across the country. I know we have been talking about this in Fine Gael in recent months, and I know it was discussed with the former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, and his team. I have been in touch with businesses across Roscommon and Galway in recent months explaining and promoting the green for business programme, telling businesses, particularly cafés, restaurants, hotels, that there is a planned increase up to €8,000 for them, that is, an energy efficiency grant. I went into those businesses and they say to me that it is actually going to be a help and a boost to them. It can be used for lighting or for something like a new A-rated fridge. It is a way to bring down their energy costs.

The steps that are going to be taken here are looking at the businesses that are applying for this money and providing support. The fund that the Minister is giving to the local enterprise offices, which is over €15 million, is really important. In the past, those offices had programmes that were open to certain sectors. What is really good about this programme is that it is open to all sectors, including retail and hospitality. Previously, it would have been limited to certain types of sectors within the local enterprise office, so this is a real win and a real support for businesses in the time ahead. It has really taken into account the costs that businesses have faced over recent months, particularly those in the areas of hospitality and retail. I am delighted to see that this is going to be coming into place on Monday next.

As for the increased cost of business grant, the deadline is coming up on 1 May. There are 2,000 businesses in Roscommon and nearly 3,700 in County Galway that are eligible for this grant. We need these businesses to apply. The challenge lies with the application rates, and we need to make sure those are increased. If we do not see more than 60% of businesses applying, can the deadline be extended? Only 20% or 30% of the businesses that are potentially eligible for the grant have applied. We need to consider if an extension is feasible and possible, because we need to work with these businesses. In recent weeks, I have been contacting businesses to tell them about this fund and encouraging them to apply. I even sat down with businesses and spent time working with them to complete their applications. As the Minister said, the process is streamlined. However, it has to be all done in one step. When people are applying for this grant, people need to get all the different information. I sat down with people and helped them with that. It literally has to be done in one step. If you go online to do it on your phone or laptop, it is not the case that you can save as you go. May I ask that perhaps this might considered in the context of the tech side of support for this programme?

The national enterprise hub is really important. When we look at the local enterprise offices, it is about expanding how they support people. I know that is within the Minister's remit.

I wish to know a bit about the mentorship programme offered by the local enterprises offices. I have spoken about that and have encouraged businesses to contact the offices about the programme. There is a great deal more that can be done in that regard. The challenge I see in places like Ballinasloe, Ballygar and Ballyforan in County Roscommon is that the one has to link in with many businesses that are one- or two-men or one- or two-women enterprises. Those people are up the walls.They have no time. I go in and sit down with them. I ask them if they have five minutes and we do it together. It is well worth it, but the challenge is they do not have time. Is it possible the mentors could be available in the evening time to speak to employers or to speak to someone to offer that support? Maybe they do that already; I do not know. It is something to consider. The ones who work 9 a.m to 5 p.m., 9 a.m to 6 p.m. or probably never stop working find it really hard to fit in getting that extra hour of support around those times.

The terms and conditions are really important. We need to ensure people who work in Ireland get a fair wage and a living wage. That is crucial. We very much saw the impact during Covid in vulnerable sectors when people were not able to take sick leave, so I appreciate the advances we have made to bring us into line with other European countries. That is something we have achieved in government and something we in Fine Gael have very much been advocating, but I also understand the challenges when it comes to businesses in ensuring they can keep as many employees as they would like. There is the flexible nature of employment. We are looking at supporting businesses to take on people coming back into the workforce. We have full employment, which is wonderful, but the challenge is how do people get people to work in cafés, restaurants and bars. We need to look at that flexibility. How can we support them with that? I mean taking on three people working ten, 12 or 18 hours a week and maintaining their benefits. I thank the Minister for his time.