Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 93: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons employed in the small and medium sized business sector; the percentage that this sector of the economy represents as a percentage of GDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20794/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not compile statistics on the number of SMEs in operation here or the number of staff they employ. Responsibility for statistical information rests with the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Information received from the CSO shows that the number of persons engaged in small and medium enterprises (employing up to 250 people) in the total business economy was 900,952 in 2009. This represents 69 per cent of all persons engaged in the total business economy (the rest accounted for by large enterprises).Using a total employment figure of 1,887,700 for 2009 from the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS), the 900,952 represents 48 per cent of all those employed in the wider economy (NACE Sectors A to U) in 2009.

The gross value added (GVA) generated by small and medium enterprises in the non-financial business economy (NACE sectors B to N - excluding K) was €43.052 billion in 2009. This represents 51 per cent of the GVA generated in the total non-financial business economy (the rest being generated by large enterprises). The Central Statistics Office's "Business in Ireland 2009" publication of January 2012, is available at the following website link: http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/services/2009/businessinireland2009.pdf