John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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70. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the progress of the establishment of the new small business unit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50597/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Small Business Unit has been established in my Department, in line with the commitment made in the Programme for Government and in recognition of the importance that the Government places on small businesses in Ireland.

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 my Department and the Small Business Unit will employ to further its important 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 32 Departments and agencies. The NEH is staffed by a team of expert advisers who are on hand to offer advice directly to businesses. Since launching last year, the NEH has handled over 7,500 enquiries. Monthly volumes have grown steadily, with over 700 queries received in August alone, more than double the number recorded in January. 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 LEO 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.