Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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37. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department will take to support the creation of new jobs in County Meath; if his department holds statistics on the number of SMEs which have closed in County Meath in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49652/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Developing Ireland’s enterprise base remains a key focus for Government and my Department is committed to backing small businesses and start-ups, scaling up indigenous firms, developing our Tourism offering and enhancing our attractiveness as a location for foreign direct investment, in every county across the country.

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Meath continues to play an extremely important role, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services direct to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the county.

The LEO offers direct grant assistance to small businesses, specifically designed for growth or exporting and aimed at small businesses in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. LEO Meath also provides a broad range of high-quality business and management development programmes that are tailored to meet specific business requirements, including the Start your Own Business Programme which guides new entrepreneurs through the various aspects of business and business planning.

Enterprise Ireland’s new strategy, Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally, sets ambitious national targets that will directly benefit Meath. The job creation targets will Increase employment in EI-supported companies to 275,000 jobs by 2029. At present 66% of existing EI-supported jobs are already outside Dublin, and the strategy commits to maintaining and strengthening this regional share.

Enterprise Ireland offers employment grants to companies in Meath that commit to creating at least 3 new jobs beyond their current base. A company can receive up to €15,000 per job from Enterprise Ireland, 50% of which is paid up front, this gives the company some breathing space to embed the employee as they develop their skills and knowledge in the initial phase of employment.

IDA is dedicated to achieving more balanced and compact regional development that delivers complementary efficiency and equity gains, ultimately advancing national development and as such IDA Ireland has continued its strong commitment to regional development in developing four key strategic objectives within its strategy, Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation 2025-2029.

IDA continues to work with regional stakeholders and the private sector on opportunities to add to the supply of competitive property solutions in the Mid East Region and has committed to delivering an Advance Planning Permit for an Advance Building Solution in Meath in conjunction with Meath County Council which will contribute to marketing Meath as a location for further investment utilising its global network of overseas offices. IDA is also actively engaged with all IDA client companies in County Meath, focussing on supporting their existing operation as well as new investment opportunities.

The Programme for Government provides that this Government will work with Fáilte Ireland to develop a balanced regional spread of tourism throughout the country. County Meath is included in Fáilte Ireland’s Ancient East regional tourism development strategy 2023-27.

One of the key tourism achievements in County Meath is the continued growth of the world-class Púca festival, which has contributed greatly to an emerging tourism destination. The Púca festival, developed by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Meath County Council, plays a key role in attracting visitors who support revenue generation and job creation in local communities.

In relation to employment, Fáilte Ireland, continues to support the tourism industry to build the talent and skills it needs to remain profitable, competitive and resilient. A key priority, in this regard, is to support tourism businesses to adopt quality employment practices, to ensure that the sector is recognised as a desirable and rewarding career choice, and that individuals working in it can continue to develop their own expertise, knowledge and skills, to build a long-term and successful career.

Fáilte Ireland plays a pivotal role in supporting tourism jobs across the country through a multifaceted approach that includes training, funding, regional development, and inclusive employment initiatives. Key initiatives include Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme which supports businesses to improve employee engagement, satisfaction, and the online learning platform, LearniFI, facilitating tourism staff to upskill in areas critical to business performance.

In relation to statistics on closures in County Meath, the statistics requested are being compiled by the Companies Registration Office and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.