Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment about the uses of the trading online voucher scheme; and if this scheme can be used to avail of artificial intelligence products and research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30504/24]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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In May of this year, the Government agreed a range of measures with the aim of reducing costs for small and medium sized businesses. As part of this package and aligned with changes outlined in the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Policy Statement, changes to the LEO digitalisation schemes for small businesses were included.

Firstly, the Trading Online Voucher scheme will be doubled to €5,000 to support businesses on their digitalisation journey and will be made available to businesses with up to 50 employees in all sectors. This will also contribute to the target in the National Digital Strategy of achieving 90% of SMEs having basic digital intensity 2030.

Secondly, the eligibility criteria for Digital for Business consultancy scheme will be widened to make businesses with up to 50 employees eligible for the scheme, regardless of sector. The consultancy will be a prerequisite to be eligible for capital expenditure through the Trading Online Voucher scheme.

The Trading Online Voucher scheme has also been further enhanced by modernising the eligible expenditure. It will be renamed the Grow Digital Voucher to reflect the needs of a modern business in a digital environment. This updated eligible expenditure includes a wide range elements including e-commerce software, e-invoicing software, cyber security software, as well as analytics software including Artificial Intelligence systems.

The changes to this scheme are currently being finalised, and I would urge any businesses interested in availing of this enhanced voucher to embark on their digital journey by applying for a Digital for Business consultancy scheme, through their Local Enterprise Office, to identify how digitalisation can best benefit their business.