David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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101. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the level of support and number of recipients of the trading online voucher scheme in the past year by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60748/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Trading Online Voucher Scheme offers a 50% co-funded voucher of up to €2,500 to help businesses, which have been trading for at least 6 months, to develop their online trading capability and includes training sessions that cover various topics, including developing a website, digital marketing, social media for business and search engine optimisation.

The Trading Online Voucher Scheme has been a crucial support for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to assist businesses with digitalisation and developing their online presence. Between 1st January 2021 and 1st December 2021, on a national basis, the Trading Online Voucher Scheme had a total of 4,306 approvals across Ireland to a value in excess of €9.3 million. This is strong evidence of the success of the scheme and the demand for the vouchers across the micro-enterprise sector.

The Scheme continues to build and strengthen the online presence of these enterprises which has been underpinned by the phenomenal uptake of the scheme in 2020. In 2020, the Trading Online Voucher Scheme had a total of 12,946 approvals across Ireland to a value of €30,774,904. This was of huge importance to the survival of businesses as they pivoted to online sales during the pandemic, and I am satisfied that the Trading Online Voucher Scheme will continue to be a key component in the suite of interventions to assist micro-enterprises to develop and flourish in the years ahead.

1 January to 1 December 2021

Trading Online Vouchers:

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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102. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the support provided under the online retail scheme; if the scheme will run in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60496/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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As the largest private sector employer, and a key element in providing for the needs of society and indeed other sectors of the economy, it is vital that retail continues to develop capability and remain competitive.

Trading online is a very important route for retail businesses to grow and improve and will be an important element in their recovery over the longer term. I welcome the significant progress made by the retail sector in Ireland to move to online commerce over the past 18 months.

To enable retailers to increase their customer base and build a more resilient business, my Department initially launched a pilot Online Retail Scheme, in 2018.

40 retailers across Ireland were provided €894,636 in funding over two calls of the pilot Scheme, with grants of between €10,000 and €25,000 on a 50 percent match fund basis.

In 2020, my Department launched the COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the urgent need for retail companies to increase their online capability.

The COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme is helping companies in the indigenous retail sector who have already started an online journey, to enhance and strengthen their existing online presence.

This will help them to respond to both domestic and international consumer demand competitively.

To date the COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme has provided funding of €18.2m to 503 retailers under three calls, bringing the total approved to over €19m.

I am committed to supporting the needs of the retail sector, through the Retail Forum, which I chair, in developing their online capability and enhancing their competitiveness. The Online Retail Schemes to date are being reviewed and it is my intention to open a further round of applications for funding in 2022.

The Deputy will also be aware of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme,administered by the Local Enterprise Office network on behalf of my department. This scheme was transferred into my Department at the start of this year

In 2020 the scheme attracted 17,315 applications and 12,984 approvals to a value of €30.6m and between 1st January and 1^stDecember this year there have been 4,306 approvals to a value of €9,323,886.

The scheme offers a voucher of up to €2,500 (50% co-funded by the applicant) to help businesses develop their online trading capability.

It includes training sessions, including developing a website, digital marketing, social media for business and search engine optimisation.

While not exclusively for the retail sector it provides significant assistance to retailers to start to trade online.