Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she has given consideration to the setting up of a local enterprise office in Drogheda (details supplied) as part of a collective response to Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41409/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Government Decision of April 2012 provided for the dissolution of the 35 County Enterprise Boards and the establishment of 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) in each Local Authority area. On this basis the LEO Louth was established in the County Council Offices in Dundalk. My Department has no current plans to deviate from this model.

The role of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) is to promote entrepreneurship at the local level. The LEOs provide information, guidance and ‘soft’ supports to anyone seeking to start or grow a business. Subject to certain eligibility, they offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (10 employees or fewer) in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sector which, over time, have the potential to develop into strong export entities.

In terms of specific Brexit supports, the LEOs are hosting information events around the country for core and non-core clients. The objective of these sessions is to enable companies to learn about the potential impacts and opportunities of Brexit, and to engage in a process of strategic planning to ensure their companies have a robust strategy in place. These sessions are supplemented by an online Brexit SME Scorecard that LEO clients can complete to self-assess their readiness for Brexit.

A key element of the range of LEO Brexit responses is a Lean4Micro programme, which was designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisation to increase performance and competitiveness. Lean tools and techniques help companies to address competitiveness issues within their businesses by building the capability of their people to identify problems and improve operations. This programme is of benefit to all micro-enterprises, whether affected by Brexit or not.

Finally, along with the core LEO priming and business development grants, the LEOs are now offering two new funding programmes to assist micro-enterprises affected by Brexit. The Technical Assistance for Micro-exporters (TAME) grant is designed to help LEO clients to find new markets and exports by part-funding expenditure incurred investigating and researching export markets, e.g. exhibiting at Trade Fairs, preparing marketing material and developing websites specifically targeting export markets.

Enterprise Ireland will continue to work with client companies in line with the agency’s strategy of promoting start-ups, driving innovation and competitiveness and assisting companies with global ambition to export and diversify their global footprint. The agency will also continue to assist companies to navigate the challenges faced by Brexit. As part of this, the agency will run Brexit events in this region over the next few months.

IDA Ireland has set new and ambitious FDI targets for every region in the country. IDA North East Region comprises counties Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. There are 33 multinational companies based in the North East, employing 4,914across the Region. The highest concentration of companies is located in Louth (21), Cavan (7) and Monaghan (5). IDA Ireland is constantly engaged with clients across its entire portfolio and in the months leading up to the UK referendum it engaged with clients and prospective clients in relation to the potential impact of BREXIT.

The North East/North West and Mid East Action Plans for Jobs are key policy responses for supporting employment growth across the nine counties in these regions, including counties Louth and Meath. The Local Authorities, enterprise agencies, and other key public and private sector stakeholders in both Louth and Meath have been strongly involved in, and are key drivers of, these Action Plans. The implications of the Brexit vote and the challenges and opportunities that the decision poses for the regions are discussed at all APJ Implementation Committee meetings.