Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline the supports being provided by his Department to aid small and medium-sized businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21617/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to backing small and medium businesses and will continue to work closely with small businesses through our enterprise development agencies to support their growth, help them to find new markets, create jobs and take on the twin challenges of decarbonisation and digitalisation.

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), located within the 31 Local Authorities, have a key role to play in this as the first stop shop for small businesses in Ireland. The LEOs promote entrepreneurship, foster business start-ups, develop small businesses, drive job creation and provide accessible high-quality supports for small businesses within their Local Authority areas.

The LEOs provide direct grant assistance to small businesses to assist them to start up and grow, with priority given to enterprises in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors who have the potential to develop into exporting entities. These grants are not available to domestically trading areas such as retail, personal services, professional services or construction.

However, LEOs also provide a wide range of high-quality business and management development programmes, tailored to meet specific business requirements and can provide consultancy and grants to small businesses of all sectors, in the areas of Green, Digital and Lean. These supports are focused enhancing productivity and improving competitiveness in small businesses.

I would recommend that any small business owner contact their Local Enterprise Office and ask to speak to a Business Advisor about the supports available to them.

Enterprise Ireland is also committed to supporting the growth and development of small and medium-sized businesses in Ireland by providing financial assistance, expert advice, and tailored programs. The comprehensive range of supports available through Enterprise Ireland ensures that businesses have the resources and guidance they need to achieve their ambitions and contribute to Ireland's economic success.

Enterprise Ireland provides grants to assist small businesses with R&D, market expansion, and productivity improvements, while also offering equity investment in companies to helps them to scale their business and reach new markets globally.

Grant aided offers, like Grad Start and Key Manager Support, assist in attracting and developing talent within SMEs. While the Innovation Partnership Programme, offers funding for SMEs to collaborate with research institutions and develop innovative solutions and enhance their capability and competitiveness.

One of the key focuses of Enterprise Ireland is to assist Irish SMEs to access international markets. Initiatives like the Get Exporting Programme are available to help businesses enter and grow in international markets.

I also encourage any business owners looking to avail of government support to consult the National Enterprise Hub (NEH). The NEH is an all-of-government free service, staffed by expertly trained advisors and is focused on helping business owners access a range of government supports.