Written answers

Tuesday, 1 February 2022

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Enterprise Support Services

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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193. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the full range of business supports in place for persons starting a business other than in those sectors supported by Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. [4419/22]

Photo of Damien EnglishDamien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I would encourage any person looking to start, expand or pivot their business to contact their Local Enterprise Office as they provide a ‘first stop shop’ for all available Government business supports.

Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) 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. In particular, the LEOs offer Feasibility Grants, which help start-up companies or individual entrepreneurs with the cost of researching their proposed business or new business idea to see if it could be viable and sustainable, and Priming Grants, which aim to help with the associated costs of start-up.

However, it should be noted that the LEOs do not provide direct grant-aid to areas such as retail, personal services, local professional services, or local building services, as it may give rise to the displacement of existing businesses.

The LEOs provide a wide range of high-quality business and management development programmes that are tailored to meet specific business requirements. Whether it is starting a business or growing a business there is something suitable for anyone exploring self-employment as an option.

Any person considering starting a business should enquire about the LEO’s Start Your Own Business Programme. The objective of this programme is to assist clients in assessing their business idea, its viability and helps them decide if they should proceed or take a step back. The programme covers topics such as Starting up / getting started, Identifying, understanding, and researching your target market, Developing your Business Plan amongst other vital areas of interest to a new business.

I would also suggest seeking the advice of a LEO Business Mentor; the Mentor programme is open to both new and existing businesses located within the LEO region and is designed to match up the knowledge, skills, insights and entrepreneurial capability of experienced business practitioners with small business owner/ managers who need practical and strategic one to one advice and guidance. The mentor contributes independent, informed observation and advice to aid decision making.

Mentors can also advise on finance options available to entrepreneurs and can assist with applications and referrals to Micro-Finance Ireland, which provides vital support to eligible microenterprises by lending to businesses that cannot obtain loans from other commercial lenders and who do not meet the conventional risk criteria applied by commercial lenders. It offers loan funding, including Start-up Loans, from €5,000 to €25,000.

The above supports along with a host of others can also be found on the supportingsmes.gov.ie website. This is a cross-governmental guide to help small businesses know which of the over 170 Government supports could fit their business.

By completing the questionnaire, a small business will, in one location:

- be able to find out which of the over 170 Government business supports from 27 different Government Departments, Agencies and Initiatives are available.

- be able to get information on the range of Government supports for accessing credit.

- be given contact details for their nearest Local Enterprise Office.

- be able to download filtered results into a document for their further use.

The Department of Social Protection offers the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme, which encourages people currently receiving certain social welfare payments to become self-employed. The scheme is a payment made by the Department of Social Protection to people aged under 66, who are in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment 3 out of the last 5 years. Participants in the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme can keep a percentage of their social welfare payment for up to 2 years.

The Department of Social Protection also offer the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance scheme, which supports those who have lost their job and want to start their own business. The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance is paid instead of your Jobseeker’s Benefit for a maximum of 9 months and ends when your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit ends.

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