James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of LEO business expansion grants awarded to County Wexford businesses in 2016; the sum of each grant; the average sum of each grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44013/17]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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111. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number and value of LEO grants given to County Wexford businesses in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44014/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together.

In 2016, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Wexford approved 28 enterprise grants – feasibility, priming and business expansion – in total for the year, to a value of €389,034.

The approvals included 11 business expansion grants totalling €187,269 for its clients. This equates to an average grant amount of €17,024.

As the first-stop-shop for the provision of supports to the micro-enterprise and small business sector in the county, in 2016 the LEO Wexford ran training courses for 948 participants, provided mentoring services for 132 participants and supported 23 applications for loan finance to MicroFinance Ireland.

The LEO Wexford also approved 45 Trading Online Vouchers totalling €90,811 to its clients under the Trading Online Voucher Scheme (TOVS), which is administered by the LEOs on behalf of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Finally, under the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition, the €50,000 investment fund available to LEO Wexford was awarded to the winners and runners-up in the three categories: best new business idea, best new start-up and best established business. In 2016, a total of 64 young entrepreneurs applied for the IBYE competition in LEO Wexford, bringing the total number of applications in the county since the competition commenced in 2014 to 146.

I think it is clear therefore the LEO Wexford has been very active across a number of areas in support of its customers.