I thank the Deputy for his very important question. I am happy to tell him that the Government and I, as Minister of State with responsibility for trade promotion, digitalisation and AI, are committed to developing Ireland's enterprise base across all regions over the next five years. This ranges from backing small businesses and start-ups to scaling up indigenous firms and enhancing our attractiveness as a location for foreign direct investment. Our vision is to foster a dynamic, resilient and inclusive economy that supports sustainable growth and job creation in every corner of the country. The Deputy's interest, of course, is County Galway and according to the Department's annual employment survey of Enterprise Ireland clients for 2024, there are 329 Enterprise Ireland-supported companies operating in that county. These companies collectively employ 9,687 people, which is a nearly 7% increase in employment compared with 2023. This growth reflects the strength of local entrepreneurship and the effectiveness of targeted supports for indigenous enterprise, which continue to empower businesses to innovate, expand and compete on a global stage. There were a number of Enterprise Ireland jobs announcements in Galway in 2025. In January 2025, Aerogen announced an expansion that will create 725 jobs over ten years. In May, M&M Qualtech announced 18 new positions at its Galway facility while in June, ICS Medical Devices announced 72 jobs by 2028. In addition, the Galway local enterprise office has been instrumental in supporting small businesses. In 2024, it assisted 258 local businesses, supporting 1,356 jobs and creating 218 new jobs through the provision of over €600,000 in direct grant assistance.

Sentiment score: 0.48

I thank the Deputy for the very legitimate concerns he has raised. On the first piece around planning, he will agree that the Planning and Development Act passed by the previous Government has gone a huge way towards trying to address that. Whether we are in opposition or government, we all know this country has been choked and almost had its development stifled due to planning. We are doing everything possible to address those challenges and make it more attractive for businesses to go through that process. The spurious and vexatious objections that have stifled the ability of companies not just to start up but also to possibly scale up have been detrimental to the growth of our economy. In the previous Government and this Government, we are certainly trying to address it, and we have addressed it in an action-based way through the Planning and Development Act. As to how we support the businesses that want to scale up, the Deputy will agree that all of our State agencies, be it the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, CeADAR - which is focused on AI development - or a LEO, are doing everything possible to support those businesses in doing that.

Sentiment score: 0.36

Point taken. It is a very reasonable observation to make. Procurement is a language of its own. We all know that from filling in procurement applications for grants for communities, for example. There is a language and that can sometimes be off-putting, make it difficult and create further challenges for business. However, we are in the business of creating business. We are in the business, as a Government, of supporting business and the Deputy is right, in that we want the world to know this is a good country to do business in and that the Government and the local authorities are ready and open to assist in any way we can. I take on board the Deputy's point about procurement and will speak to the Minister to see what we can do to address that.

Sentiment score: 0.16

I thank the Deputy for his question on the National Enterprise Hub which was established on 10 July 2024 and since then, the NEH has handled more than 6,000 inquiries from businesses. Monthly numbers have increased consistently and 773 were received in May alone. The primary goal of the NEH is to improve access to Government supports for businesses. We also want to simplify access and reach businesses that have never availed of the many different supports on offer. While my Department leads on the NEH overall, it is run by Enterprise Ireland, EI, and it is very much a whole of Government approach. The NEH has expanded considerably in the last year and now offers information and support on more than 250 Government supports from 30 different Government bodies. The NEH continues to undergo developments to refine and improve its services and to enhance the manner in which data is captured and used to ensure it is providing useful insights that can be used to inform policy. In terms of the most popular supports, the top three most searched categories in May this year were, as the Deputy might expect, grants and funding; loans, training and programmes; and advice and mentoring. The top inquiries received by the NEH team in May were fund your start-up; become more digital; and get support to expand. They relate to scaling up, digitalisation and AI and seed funding for start-ups. The top individual supports were the local enterprise office, LEO, supports start your own business; the grow digital voucher; LEO and EI feasibility studies; Micro Finance Ireland loans; the LEO energy efficiency grant and the revenue start-up relief for entrepreneurs. SOLAS micro-qualifications, the SBCI growth and sustainability loan scheme, social protection job plus and Skillnet Ireland networking also featured as popular supports. I am learning every day of all the different schemes and supports that are there so something like this that pulls all of that together and gives it to the business community is essential.

Sentiment score: 0.52

I thank the Deputy. As I said at the outset, the National Enterprise Hub not only gives the information but it is collecting the data too which gives the Government a laser sharp focus on the type of policy, grant aid and supports we need to offer to get to the critical crux of what businesses need to support, grow and scale. The figures I gave out on the inquiries it has had so far are incredible. There have been 6,000 since it began and in May alone, there were over 700 inquiries. The hub brings together information and resources on more than 250 Government supports and 30 different Government bodies and State agencies. That is always the challenge for business people, especially the small and medium sector that may not have a HR section or does not have a section dedicated to going after where funds are or where they can be availed of. That is always the feedback we would all get. Having that one stop shop, which is the hope and intention of what the enterprise hub is, gives them that one place they can go. It is across 30 Government bodies. That kind of coherence and collective information is critically important.

Sentiment score: 0.14

In my short few months in the Department, the Minister, Deputy Burke, has been relentless on the theme of lighter, faster and simpler with what the Deputy is talking about and providing opportunities for businesses to apply for those grants and make it easier and quicker and not as onerous or burdensome. As we all know and we hear it at meetings ourselves, business people ask is it worth the effort. There is a huge effort being made on the Minister's part to get all of the right people around the table and have the forums for those messages to come across, not just to us, the policy makers, but to the officials too who are helping us pull together these grant applications. The Minister, Deputy Burke, has been relentless on the message of simpler, faster and lighter on not just the burdens of regulation but also on the theme of providing supports to businesses to assist them to scale up and grow.

Sentiment score: 0.54