Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

320. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding drawn down from her Department and given out by each of the local enterprise offices for each of the years 2012 to 2015, inclusive and to date in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20284/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Capital funding for the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) is provided by my Department via the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Enterprise Ireland, who distribute the funding to individual LEOs. The Capital allocations are for direct financial supports to the micro-enterprise sector (Measure 1 grants) and so-called “soft” supports for LEO clients, such as training and mentoring (Measure 2 supports). Measure 1 grants are given out to LEO client companies, in the form of priming, business expansion and feasibility grants. Since 2014, the LEOs also disburse direct Capital funding in the form of investments to successful applicants under the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition.

Table 1 provides details of the Capital funding drawn down by the CoE for allocation to the LEOs for the years from 2012 to 2015 and to 6 July 2016. The table also shows the total expenditure made by the LEOs over the same period under Measure 1, Measure 2 and IBYE (2014 and 2015).

The total value of the Measure 1 direct grant assistance made by the LEOs to their clients over in this period may also include an element of refundable aid which is generated by the LEOs from repayments by clients of up to 30% of the value of the grants made. The Measure 2 expenditure may include an element of own resource income generated by the LEOs from their training courses and mentoring services, etc. These additional elements are included in the expenditure amounts in Table 1.

A more detailed up-to-date breakdown of expenditure on a LEO by LEO basis is being compiled by my Department and will be supplied to the Deputy as soon as it is available.