Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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15. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding the establishment of a small business unit in his Department, as set out in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21738/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Small Business Unit has been established in my Department. This is a commitment in the Programme for Government and a recognition of the importance that the Government places on small businesses.

The Unit has been tasked with ensuring that the needs and issues of small businesses have a dedicated focus and are recognised and acknowledged across Government. There are a number of tools this Unit and my Department will use to enable its work.

First, through the rigorous implementation of the SME Test. The SME Test tasks policy makers to consider the impact that any new policy, legislation, or regulation, may have on SMEs, and to mitigate against those impacts where appropriate. Through the SME Test, we are driving home the importance of the “think small first” principle across Government.

Second, we have simplified access to grants and support programmes through the National Enterprise Hub. The NEH is hosted and operated by Enterprise Ireland and has over 250 different supports for businesses from 29 Departments and agencies. The NEH is staffed by a team of expert advisers who are on hand to offer advice directly to businesses. Since its launch, the NEH has had contact with over 4,300 businesses. My Department is working on how to improve the NEH further with a greater emphasis on simplification.

Third, we are ensuring the Local Enterprise Offices are properly resourced to help small businesses. The LEOs have a mandate to support small businesses with up to 50 employees and I have made changes to their grants and schemes to ensure more businesses are eligible.

Let me assure the Deputy that the Government and my Department are committed to backing businesses and will ensure the actions aimed at supporting small businesses in the Programme for Government are implemented in an effective and timely manner.