Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way in which she plans to address the level of unpreparedness of businesses for Brexit (details supplied). [30230/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Government is investing heavily in promoting and supporting the need for businesses to become Brexit-ready.

Ever since the result of the UK Referendum, the agencies under my remit have been highly engaged in encouraging and supporting companies to prepare for Brexit.

In June 2016, Enterprise Ireland created a UK Export Website featuring documents, videos and webinars addressing the key Brexit challenges, including the immediate currency aspects.

EI’s current “#Prepare for Brexit” campaign includes a Brexit Scorecard available to all businesses to self-assess their preparedness across all aspects of operations and strategy and to plan their response. EI offers clients a ‘Be Prepared’ grant of up to €5,000 towards the cost of preparing a Brexit Action Plan. The Scorecard is also available through the Local Enterprise Offices.

Since its launch in March 2017, the Scorecard has been accessed by over 1,200 businesses and is increasing all the time, indicating that a growing number of companies is thinking and acting in response to Brexit.

Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs are also working directly with clients and offer a range of supports, including training, mentoring, export research, key skills, innovation and business competitiveness, to help companies to address Brexit-related challenges. In Budget 2017, my Department secured extra funding and staff resources to allow EI and the LEOs to provide the necessary supports.

Bord Bia launched a similar analytical tool for Food companies last March and are in turn working directly with clients to devise Brexit strategies.

At the wider economy level, my Department recently published the findings of a survey taken in January of over 1,000 SMEs on the challenges posed by Brexit. The survey indicated that, while only 37% felt that there was some immediate impact, 61% expected to be impacted over the following 18 months. Currency, costs and financial issues were the key concerns. 

In response, the Department is currently working on further measures targeted at the needs of companies around working capital and business development and will be re-surveying companies in the near term.

Against that background, the InterTrade Ireland survey interviewed 750 SMEs on both sides of the Border in the period January to March 2017 which, while of interest, is a relatively small sample. My Department has provided InterTrade Ireland with additional funding this year to establish a new Brexit Advisory Service, which will provide factual advice, supports for capability building and other specialist expertise to SMEs.

I am confident therefore that my Department and its agencies are closely monitoring the evolving situation and are providing the information and supports to help those companies threatened by Brexit to plan their response.