Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its Agencies offer a wide range of supports to allow businesses to prepare for Brexit. My commitment to ensuring businesses are as well prepared as possible is evidenced by the focus I placed on Brexit as part of my allocations under Budget 2019, including through Enterprise Ireland, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices, IDA Ireland and InterTrade Ireland and the advisory services in the NSAI and the HSA. My focus is on helping firms to improve their competitiveness, innovation and to diversify markets.

Research for my Department by Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A) indicates that 44% of Brexit impacted firms nationally have a plan in place as of mid-year. Enterprise Ireland report that 85% of clients have a plan in place and are taking action.

I want to increase the numbers of firms that have completed Brexit scenario planning, and secondly for those with a plan, my Department and agencies are available to work through ‘no regrets’ implementation actions by firms. We are also focusing on building capability in areas of customs and tariffs, supply chain, regulation and standards and employee movement issues. Minister Donohoe announced a package of over €110m for Brexit supports in Budget 2019.

There has been a significant uptake in these supports from my Department and agencies among businesses.

For instance, the ‘Brexit SME Scorecard’ is a new interactive online platform launched by Enterprise Ireland (EI) which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit. To date, close to 3,000 Brexit Scorecards have been completed.

The Be Prepared grant, also available through EI, offers SME clients a grant of up to €5,000 to assist them in preparing an action plan for economic shocks such as Brexit. The grant can be used to help cover consultancy, travel and travel expenses associated with researching the direction of their action plan. 137 Be Prepared Grants have so far been approved.

Enterprise Ireland has run 8 Brexit advisory clinics throughout the country to date. Approximately 590 people have attended these events to date and three more Clinics are due to take place before the end of the year in Dundalk, Waterford and Limerick.

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) have organised various events to enable companies to learn about the potential impacts and opportunities of Brexit. 3,925 participants have taken part in these events. In addition, 263 LEO clients have received one-to-one mentoring solely focused on Brexit.

The LEOs engage in a number of other schemes to help companies prepare for Brexit. Technical Assistance Grants for Micro Export are offered as an incentive for LEO clients to explore and develop new market opportunities. 293 clients have been approved so far for this scheme.

204 Brexit SME Scorecards have been completed in this period by clients that identified themselves as LEO clients.

The Brexit Loan Scheme, launched in March this year, makes a fund of up to €300 million available to eligible businesses to help them innovate, change or adapt to mitigate their Brexit challenge. So far, there have been 262 applications to the Scheme, with 224 approved by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland.

InterTradeIreland’s Brexit Advisory Service was established in May 2017 to provide a focal point for SMEs, working to navigate the changes in cross-border trading relationships brought about by Brexit negotiations. To date the Brexit Advisory Service has engaged directly with some 2,350 SMEs.

These are just some of the schemes available under the auspices of my Department to help businesses prepare for Brexit.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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28. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the measures being taken, including under budget 2019, to promote and foster indigenous trade and productivity, especially to prepare for Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42551/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Brexit is undoubtedly the most significant challenge facing Irish enterprise in over 50 years. With less than 6 months to go, I was determined to deliver a budget with Brexit at its core, building on the many measures we have already introduced, and responding to the evolving needs of business.

The agencies under my remit have an extensive range of supports available to enable companies to both consolidate market share and continue to pursue new opportunities to grow their market presence within the UK. For 2019, I am allocating an extra €8m to the enterprise agencies and regulatory bodies under my Department, who work with firms at the coalface to develop their supports for business.

I also announced a longer term loan facility, the Future Growth Scheme, of up to €300m to support capital investment by business, which is a collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, the Department of Finance, the European Investment Bank Group and SBCI.

Enterprise Ireland (EI) supports include:

- A new Online customs Training Programme to be launched shortly to demystify customs procedures. This will be available to all exporters and importers.

- Brexit Advisory Clinics: The purpose of these clinics is to encourage companies to examine their potential exposure to Brexit, to complete the Brexit SME Scorecard and use the Be Prepared Grant to plan their strategic response to Brexit.

- Brexit Scorecard: An interactive online platform to self-assess exposure to Brexit under six business pillars.

- Be Prepared Grant: This grant offers SME clients a grant of up to €5,000 to assist businesses in preparing an action plan for economic shocks such as Brexit.

- The Agile Innovation Fund: giving companies rapid fast-track access to innovation funding, and up to 50% in support for product, process or service development projects with a total cost of up to €300,000.

- Market Discovery Fund - supports Enterprise Ireland clients research new markets for products and services.

- “Prepare to Export Scorecard”: The Scorecard helps Irish companies with global ambition to self-assess how prepared they are to start exporting.

In Budget 2019, I have allocated €1.25m for a Retail Online Scheme which will be launched by Enterprise Ireland shortly. The main objective of the Pilot scheme will be to support SMEs in the retail sector with a pre-existing online presence to develop and implement a more sophisticated and strategic online trading offer with a view to increasing online business and customers both domestically and internationally.

I have also earmarked an additional €1.8m for the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland over the next 3 years to help businesses to respond to digital and new market opportunities.

The 31 Local Enterprise Offices play a pivotal role in supporting micro-enterprises, as they prepare for Brexit. I have allocated an additional €5m to enhance their programme of supports in 2019, up 22% on 2018.

I have also allocated an additional €1m in capital funding to InterTrade Ireland, an increase of 17.5%. This will allow them to step up their support for companies in the border region, North and South, who are particularly exposed to Brexit.

The Government’s commitment to supporting the business community prepare for Brexit can also be seen in the series of four “Getting Ireland Brexit Ready” seminars, which are being held this month around the country. My Department and agencies are actively participating in this new campaign, Getting Ireland Brexit Ready, and we are seeking to promote the supports available to the broad base of business across the country.