Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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116. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will address a scenario (details supplied) regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52938/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Local Enterprise Offices act as a ‘First Stop Shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance, and act as a ‘signposting’ service for all government supports available to entrepreneurs and business owners throughout the country.

The Local Enterprise Office can offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (10 employees or fewer) in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors which, over time, have the potential to develop into strong export entities. Subject to certain eligibility criteria, the Local Enterprise Office can provide financial assistance within four main categories, Feasibility grants, Priming grants, Business Development grants and Technical Assistance (TAME) grants. However, it should be noted that the Local Enterprise Offices do not provide direct grant-aid to areas such as retail, personal services, local professional services, construction/local building services, as it may give rise to the displacement of existing businesses.

The Local Enterprise Offices also provide a wide range of high-quality business training and capability supports tailored to meet specific business requirements of anyone exploring self-employment as an option or for those who are currently operating a business.

The Start Your Own Business programme guides clients through the various aspects of business and business planning. The objective is to assist clients in critically assessing their business idea, its viability and to decide if they should proceed or take a step back. This programme covers a wide variety of topics designed to equip entrepreneurs to tackle the obstacles and opportunities presented in the current business environment.

The Mentor Programme is a service offered free of charge by the Local Enterprise Offices that allows business owners to work with an experienced mentor to identify solutions to areas of exposure within their business, develop strategies that are more robust, address issues and maximise potential opportunities. Business Mentors can assist business owners with the issue of access to finance for start-ups and can help in the completion of business cases and application forms.