Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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705. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will supply any analysis from his Department on the domestic private investment landscape by sector, and in particular, in property versus non-property private investment; the steps he is taking to ensure private investment capital is not disproportionately allocated to property development in a way that over-concentrates domestic private capital risks and wider economic supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19089/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department intervenes in the market to develop the Irish equity financing ecosystem for enterprise. This includes the Seed and Venture Capital (SVC) Scheme which is operated by Enterprise Ireland (EI) and supports the supply of risk capital to Irish SMEs and start-ups, thereby contributing to their growth. This Scheme supports strategic manufacturing and internationally traded sectors such as: Lifesciences, Software, Electronics, Fintech, Digitalisation, Cyber Security, AI, Food/Foodtech, Agritech and Deep Tech. The Scheme prohibits investments into real estate.

In 2022, an independent review was undertaken to assess the impact of State Support for Equity Investment in Ireland. It was found that the SVC Scheme has helped to improve the functioning of the equity market in Ireland. There is also evidence to suggest that the scheme is influencing fund managers’ investment strategies, their ability to recruit talent and diversify their investment portfolio.

In June 2024, I launched the latest iteration of the SVC Scheme to run from 2025 to 2029. This Scheme incorporates the findings and recommendations of the independent review. This includes increasing the Scheme by €75m, bringing the total to €250m, which is expected to increase the size of deals made by SVC-backed funds, improve the ability of fund managers to provide follow-on investment, and increase the supply of finance as firms progress through the various stages of funding.

My Department also oversees the Irish Innovation Seed Fund (IISF), which is managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland. The €90m fund is made up of a €30m investment through Enterprise Ireland, which is matched by a €30m investment from the EIF. The €60m fund is managed by EIF. The Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) co-invest a further €30m alongside on a deal-by deal-basis. This fund invests in commercially focussed VC funds that target the Pre-Seed and Seed stages of development, across all Enterprise Ireland supported sectors, including e.g., ICT, Life Sciences and Climate.