Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the State agencies that provide financial advice to small and medium enterprises along the lines of MABS; the State supports available to SME's that are experiencing difficulties at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12939/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation one of my main priorities is to ensure that State support for enterprise activity, entrepreneurship stimulation and job creation is delivered, is properly targeted and is effective and coherent. I want to ensure that it is cost effective and that the resources available to the State are used to maximise business activity and sustainability across all sectors in order to drive economic recovery.

My Department provides funding to a number of State Agencies, including the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) and Enterprise Ireland, through whom assistance is delivered directly to business. The role of the CEBs is to develop indigenous potential and stimulate economic activity at a local level primarily through the provision of financial and technical support for the development of small and micro-enterprises. The Boards form a nationwide support network for small business and are considered to be a first point of contact for persons wishing to set up in business.

Subject to certain eligibility criteria new and developing micro-enterprises may qualify for financial support from the CEBs in the form of priming, expansion/development and feasibility/innovation grants. In addition, the CEBs deliver non-financial supports such as one-to-one mentoring and a range of business advice and training programmes to improve management capability development within micro-enterprises designed to help new and existing enterprises to operate effectively and efficiently so as to last and grow, which may be available as appropriate to the needs of the promoter's business.

In order to more fully explore the range of options that may be available, individuals and business owners are advised to contact their local CEB to discuss their particular needs with the relevant staff of the Board. Contact details for individual CEBs can be found by accessing the following website: www.enterpriseboards.ie.

Enterprise Ireland's remit is to work with Irish-owned companies including SMEs that wish to expand and grow on international markets. Enterprise Ireland (EI) is therefore focused on every aspect of the exporting and trade development process for these companies and provides a range of business supports including funding in an integrated and coherent manner to help companies develop the business capabilities required to successfully export.

Optimising the environment within which all companies can access finance is a key government policy. For EI's part, the agency has been focused on building relationships with the main Banks to highlight the needs of the Irish-owned exporting base. This has included two-way staff secondments which ensure greater understanding and on-going development of sectoral expertise within corporate and business banking to support emerging sectors. Over the last couple of years and especially a the height of the recession, EI was active in organising workshops across the country for clients on cash management and also discussed hundreds of individual cases on behalf of individual exporters (with those exporting firms participation) directly with banks where appropriate. SMEs also have access to the services of the Credit Review Office. The Credit Review Office was set up to assist businesses having difficulty getting credit and to monitor bank lending to the SME sector. The Office provides an independent review process for SME's (including sole traders and farmers) who have had requests for credit refused or reduced, or existing credit facilities withdrawn by the NAMA banks – effectively AIB and BOI who provide approximately 60% of all lending to the SME sector.

In addition to the targeted state supports provided to SMES, the Government is also assisting through other indirect measures across the economy. The recently announced Government Jobs Initiative will assist SMEs through a range of measures designed to assist in employment generation and provide opportunities for those who have lost their jobs, thus continuing to restore confidence and further generate sustainability in the economy.