Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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63. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a proposal raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) regarding the streamlining of trading online vouchers will be given consideration. [14185/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Trading Online Voucher Scheme is managed by my Department and delivered nationwide in partnership with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Enterprise Ireland, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices and Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Scheme offers skills training, mentoring and a grant of up to €2,500 to help small and micro-businesses to develop their ecommerce capability.In response to Covid-19, funding for the Scheme in 2020 was increased from €2.3m to €19.8m, and new flexibilities were introduced including reducing the requirement for co-funding from 50% to 10% and allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one. In addition, the restaurant and accommodation sectors have been included as eligible sectors under the Scheme.

It is a requirement of the Scheme that prospective applicants participate in an information session. The content of the information session includes:

- What the Trading Online Voucher can be used for, and how the Scheme Works;

- The opportunities associated with ecommerce;

- Tools for helping a business participate in ecommerce; and

- The do’s and don’ts of an online ecommerce presence.

The information session also provides prospective applicants with an opportunity to network and learn from the experience of others. Given these benefits it is not proposed to remove this requirement.

My Department has a long-standing policy of technology and product neutrality, and as such does not endorse or pre-approve any particular technology or product.

Each business is best placed to decide whether a particular ecommerce solution will meet its current and future needs.  Businesses are permitted to use the voucher for subscriptions to low cost online retail platforms, however they are encouraged to use the majority of their voucher to develop their own website that can handle transactions so they are not tied indefinitely to ongoing management or transaction fees.