Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the uptake of the Brexit loan scheme; the number of applications applied for and granted, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11079/19]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its agencies are working to provide extensive supports, schemes and advice to ensure that businesses are prepared for Brexit. These measures aim to assist businesses in identifying key risk areas and to facilitate the practical actions to be taken in response to the UK's exit from the EU.

The Brexit Loan Scheme provides affordable working capital to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees that are or will be impacted by Brexit and meet the scheme criteria. The €23 million exchequer funding (€14 million from my Department and €9 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) has been leveraged to provide a fund of up to €300 million.

It has been designed to assist eligible Irish businesses in the short-term to deal with the challenges of Brexit, which include the pressures of increased market instability and currency volatility. The scheme is open to both State Agency clients and businesses that do not have any relationship with State Agencies. Sole traders may also apply.

The scheme was launched in March 2018 and, at close of business on 1st March, there have been 479 eligibility applications received of which 430 eligibility applications have been approved and 82 loans progressed to sanction at bank level to a value of €17.35m.