Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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166. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the estimated cost to increase the Enterprise Ireland budget by 1% and 10% respectively. [33970/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Enterprise Ireland (EI) receives funding under both the Jobs and Enterprise Development and the Enterprise, Innovation and Commercialisation Programmes in my Department’s Vote.

A Further Revised Estimate setting out the allocations for 2021in respect of the various programmes funded from my Department’s Vote is expected to be submitted to the Dáil for approval shortly. It is expected that the total gross allocation for EI under both Programmes from the DETE Vote in 2021 will be €571.2 million.

On the basis of EI’s expected allocation, increasing their budget by 1% would cost approximately €5.71 million and an increase of 10% would cost approximately €57.12 million.

The Deputy should be aware that EI received very significant additional funding in 2020 to assist in its response to both Covid and Brexit, including substantial funding for extraordinary measures such as the Restart Grants, the Sustaining Enterprise Fund. The funding of €571.2 million proposed for 2021 also represents very significant beyond core funding for EI and is a concrete recognition of the vital role that EI continues to play is assisting Irish indigenous enterprises, particularly as they strive to emerge from the challenges of Covid and Brexit.