Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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332. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment what supports are being provided to encourage new business start-ups in Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44688/24]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in partnership with the enterprise agencies, provides a comprehensive range of supports for start-ups and entrepreneurship within County Kildare.

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Kildare provides services directly to small businesses, promotes entrepreneurship and assists new start-ups within towns and communities across the county. The LEO Start Your Own Business (SYOB) programme guides clients through the various aspects of business and business planning. It recognises the importance of advance planning when setting up a new venture and assists clients in honestly assessing their business idea, its viability and helps them decide if they should proceed or take a step back.

LEO Kildare also supports new startups through direct grant assistance, in particular the LEO Priming Grant. This grant is available to businesses trading for less than 18 months and links to the ‘start’ phase of the business life cycle, aiming to help the business with the associated costs of start-up. Last year, 10 new businesses based in Kildare availed of €321,000 in grant assistance under this offer.

LEO Kildare also provides assistance to small businesses to further develop and grow, through a wide range of tailored training, development, and mentoring supports which are available to businesses across all sectors. Overall, LEO Kildare provided grant assistance to 268 client businesses in 2023, helping them to support 1,309 jobs across the county.

Enterprise Ireland also plays a significant role in fostering economic growth in County Kildare. Enterprise Ireland's activities include offering financial support and grant aid to high-potential companies that demonstrate the capacity for rapid growth and entry into export markets.

This support is crucial for stimulating job creation and economic development in the county. There were 555 jobs created in County Kildare in 2023 by 158 Enterprise Ireland assisted companies. Total employment within Enterprise Ireland assisted companies in the county was 9,436 in 2023, with employment growth for the year amounting to 2%, in line with the national average growth rate of 2% among Enterprise Ireland clients.

Over the last four years, Kildare County Council and LEO Kildare have led on a number of hub developments around County Kildare, supporting entrepreneurship, enterprise creation, innovation, decarbonisation, town centre renewal, digitalisation, and fostering strong entrepreneurial communities and local employment.

The Regional Enterprise Plans are an integral part of Ireland’s enterprise policy, aimed at driving economic growth and sustaining better standards of living throughout Ireland. The Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan (REP) covers counties Kildare, Wicklow and Meath.

A key strategic objective of the Mid East REP is the development of the Athy Food, Drink and Skills Innovation Hub. This project will deliver a commercial space dedicated to the growth of new food companies and the training and retraining of future employees in the food, hospitality and Foodtech/ Agtech sectors. Kildare County Council has been awarded €5.1 million under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund for delivery of this project.

This project will act as stepping stones for enterprise development in Kildare and will provide much needed commercial premises for new start-up enterprises to develop and grow into larger organisations that will go on to contribute to the economic development of the county as a whole.

To further assist new start-ups I launched the National Enterprise Hub (NEH) in July this year. The NEH is an entry point to aid business owners in finding relevant supports and help for their business. It has a team of dedicated expertly trained advisors on hand to help guide business owners through more than 230 state supports and where necessary put the business owner in direct contact with the relevant agency.