Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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101. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the proportion of his Department's budget used on financial support to businesses, including EGE grants, subsidies and any other forms of financial support, either directly or via agencies under his remit. [44355/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The overall mission of my Department is to support the creation of good jobs by promoting the development of a competitive business environment in which enterprises will operate to high standards and grow in sustainable markets. In this context, the majority of the funding of my Department directly supports this overall mission statement.

In particular, my Department provides a range of supports, primarily via Agencies under the remit of my Department, both financial and non-financial to assist companies grow, improve competitiveness, create employment and improve productivity. Important support to businesses is also provided through funding made available through third level institutions for industry led collaborative research and commercialisation of business concepts and products. Access to credit, business costs and consumer confidence are constant concerns for the business owners I meet. Both my Department and the Government is systematically trying to address as many of those issues as it can through financial support to business.

For the purpose of the specific question tabled by Deputy Coppinger, the following is the information in respect of my Department’s overall expenditure for the latest completed year i.e. 2013.

The total gross Exchequer expenditure by my Department in 2013 was €791.90 million. Of this, €454.26 million, or 57%, represents the total Capital expenditure via Agencies under the remit of my Department. This Capital expenditure includes funding directly to business such as grants, equity and direct funding for research and development and funding to third level institutions for business-led collaborative research and commercialisation of business concepts and products. It also includes funding to third level institutions for fundamental research via Science Foundation Ireland.

Financial supports directly to businesses, in the form of grants or equity and support through funding via third level institutions for business-led collaborative research and funding for commercialisation of business concepts and products, amounted to €274.42 million i.e. 61% of total Capital expenditure or 35% of my Department’s overall Exchequer allocation.

The breakdown of this €274.42 million allocation in 2013 is as follows: