Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of new jobs created by local enterprise office supported companies in each year in Cork from 2011 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11059/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Following the dissolution of the County and City Enterprise Boards in 2014, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) were established to promote entrepreneurship and to act as a “first-stop-shop” for providing advice and guidance and financial assistance to those wishing to start or grow their own business. Over the eight years since their establishment the LEOs have provided assistance to indigenous enterprises under their Measure 1 (grant aid schemes) and Measure 2 (Training, Development and Mentoring) supports.

The table below shows the new jobs and the net new jobs created by LEO supported companies in Cork City, Cork North and West and Cork South and East regions for each of the years 2014, when the LEOs were first established, to 2021. The results of the LEO employment survey for 2022 will be published in early 2023.

These tables show that businesses supported by the LEOs, through their Measure 1 grant aid programmes, have consistently delivered net new jobs to Cork city and county with the exception of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic impacted significantly on new jobs created. I am confident that the three Local Enterprise Offices in the city and county will continue to deliver high quality, directed and measured interventions to encourage entrepreneurship and to drive enterprise development in the years to come. 

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