Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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89. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is planning to issue grants to small and medium enterprises in the retail and hospitality sectors through the increased cost of business scheme based on their profitability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23307/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Government is very aware that SMEs have faced a number of economic shocks in recent years which have resulted in cost increases.

On May 15th, I, along with my Government colleagues, announced a substantial range of measures to reduce costs for small and medium sized businesses.

Included in these measures was the reopening of the ICOB portal from 15th May to 29th May, in order to allow rate paying business owners who have not registered to do so. We have received feedback that the process of registering is simple and quick.

As part of re-opening the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) scheme and given the greater impact that increased costs are having on the hospitality and retail sector, as noted in the DETE-DSP joint working paper titled ‘An Assessment of the Cumulative Impact of Proposed Measures to Improve Working Conditions in Ireland’, it has been agreed that business operating in these sectors will receive a second payment for approved businesses or a double payment for new registrations under this scheme.

The grant is specifically based on the Local Authority rates bill in 2023 and not profitability.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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90. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the innovation voucher will be amended to allow SMEs purchase digital equipment and machinery for their business. [23114/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Innovation Voucher Programme is funded by my Department under the Science and Technology Programme, through Enterprise Ireland.

The Innovation Voucher Programme is designed to build links between Ireland's public knowledge providers (higher education institutions and research performing bodies) and small businesses and help to create a cultural shift in the small business community's approach to innovation. The vouchers encourage companies and public knowledge providers to work together on specific innovation questions and projects related to a company’s needs and is available to the broadest number of companies. The nature of these projects will be such that they transfer knowledge that is new, thereby enabling a company to use this newly acquired knowledge to innovate a product, production process or service.

The primary aim of the Innovation Voucher programme therefore is for businesses to purchase academic support from registered knowledge providers, to ultimately improve a company's innovation capability. Eligible activity that can be funded under the Innovation Voucher programme includes:

• new product design/development
• new or improved production process
• new business model development
• new service delivery and customer interface
• new service development
• tailored training in innovation management
• innovation/technology audit

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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91. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses in the counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford registered for the increased cost of business grant before 1 May 2024; how many more in each county have registered since the application process reopened last week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23090/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Government is very aware that SMEs have faced a number of economic shocks in recent years which have resulted in cost increases.

On May 15th, I, along with my Government colleagues, announced a substantial range of measures to reduce costs for small and medium sized businesses.

Included in these measures was the reopening of the ICOB portal from 15th May to 29th May, in order to allow rate paying business owners who have not registered to do so. We have received feedback that the process of registering is simple and quick.

As part of re-opening the ICOB scheme and given the greater impact that increased costs are having on the hospitality and retail sector, as noted in the DETE-DSP joint working paper titled ‘An Assessment of the Cumulative Impact of Proposed Measures to Improve Working Conditions in Ireland’, it has been agreed that business operating in these sectors will receive a second payment for approved businesses or a double payment for new registrations under this scheme.

The figures you requested are as of May 21st and are as follows:

Carlow - 951 businesses were registered on 1st May and 8 have registered since scheme reopened.

Kilkenny - 1208 businesses were registered on 1st May and 44 have registered since scheme reopened.

Waterford - 1895 businesses were registered on 1st May and 38 have registered since scheme reopened.

Wexford - 2675 businesses were registered on 1st May and 22 have registered since scheme reopened.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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92. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses in each of the four Dublin local authority areas registered for the increased cost of business grant before 1 May 2024; how many more in each area have registered since the application process reopened last week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23103/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Government is very aware that SMEs have faced a number of economic shocks in recent years which have resulted in cost increases.

On May 15th, I, along with my Government colleagues, announced a substantial range of measures to reduce costs for small and medium sized businesses.

Included in these measures was the reopening of the ICOB portal from 15th May to 29th May, in order to allow rate paying business owners who have not registered to do so. We have received feedback that the process of registering is simple and quick.

As part of re-opening the ICOB scheme and given the greater impact that increased costs are having on the hospitality and retail sector, as noted in the DETE-DSP joint working paper titled ‘An Assessment of the Cumulative Impact of Proposed Measures to Improve Working Conditions in Ireland’, it has been agreed that business operating in these sectors will receive a second payment for approved businesses or a double payment for new registrations under this scheme.

The figures you requested as at 21 May are as follows :

Dublin City Council - 7471 registered before 1 May and 93 since scheme reopened.

Dun Laoghaire - Rathdown County Council - 2483 registered before 1 May and 25 since scheme reopened.

Fingal - 2757 registered before 1 May and 99 since scheme reopened.

South Dublin County Council - 2951 registered before 1 May and 28 since scheme reopened.