Written answers

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Departmental Agencies Funding

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

344. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if his Department keeps a record of the total cost of public spending provided to private companies in the form of direct aid, subsidies and tax breaks by his Department per year; if so, the total cost to the taxpayer in each of the years 2011 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28727/15]

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

364. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if his Department keeps a record of the cost of corporate welfare or public spending provided to private companies in the form of direct aid, subsidies and tax breaks by his Department; if so, for details of the cost to the taxpayer in each of the years 2011 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28724/15]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 344 and 364 together.

My Department promotes a wide range of direct and indirect supports to business and many of these are administered via the Department’s enterprise development agencies (Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland) or via the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). It should be noted that, while the LEOs are not Agencies or Bodies of my Department, they receive an annual budget allocation from my Department for expenditure on grant aid and supports to businesses in the micro-enterprise sector. It should also be noted that other agencies, eg the National Standards Authority of Ireland provide both commercial services, public good services and other supports to private companies.

The enterprise development supports are critical to economic development, as a whole, and are aimed at increasing employment, improving competitiveness, growing exports and developing businesses generally.

The total grants paid to IDA’s foreign owned client companies in each of the years from 2011 to 2014 are as follows: in 2011, €96,757,220; in 2012, €89,326,201; in 2013 €87,951,297 and in 2014 a total of €88,439,463 was paid. Grants paid to IDA Ireland companies for 2015 to date will not be available for publication until auditing is complete in due course.

The total gross payments to Enterprise Ireland’s client companies in each of the years from 2011 to 2014 are as follows: in 2011, €105,577,468 was paid; in 2012, €103,029,340; in 2013 €89,401,304 and in 2014, €91,249, 803. Payments made to date in 2015 amount to €35,526,447. These payments include equity investment in client companies which generate returns to the Agency.

Information in relation to the amount of State funding in the form of direct grant aid and training supports awarded to indigenous private companies by the County Enterprise Boards/Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) from 2011 to 2014 is as follows: in 2011, a total of €18,134,754 was paid; in 2012, €18,775,750; in 2013, €18,180,500 and in 2014 a total of €18,459,992 was paid. Details in respect of verified LEO payments for 2015 to date are not yet to hand. In some cases a portion of grants is made on a repayable basis.

In relation to payments by all these bodies, it should be appreciated that Grants paid in a particular year are not necessarily linked to either the investments won or the jobs created in that year.

While there is no formal centralised list of all such funding, composite details of these payments are published by the bodies concerned in their individual Annual Reports and therefore readily available.

Information in relation to taxation arrangements is a matter for the Minister for Finance.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.