Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 November 2025
416. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the current number of SME construction firms operating in Cork city and Cork county; and the supports his Department is providing to help them scale delivery of starter homes under the new national housing plan. [63862/25]
View answerThere are 7,616 construction enterprises operating in Cork City and County according to latest figures reported in the CSO Business in Ireland statistics for 2022. More than 99 percent of construction enterprises nationally are SMEs (i.e. employing less than 250).
Supporting SMEs in scaling the delivery of homes is a priority for my Department.
Enterprise Ireland’s Built to Innovate programme is focused on driving productivity and innovation, including Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) adoption, amongst residential offsite manufacturing and housebuilding companies in the domestic market.
Built to Innovate offers different grant aid packages across four areas:
• The Digital package supports the implementation of Industry 4.0, digitally enabled Lean systems to develop offsite manufacturing capability to increase output and produce more complex, higher value products.
• The Lean construction grant package is designed to deliver higher levels of on time and on budget project delivery, through implementing Lean methodologies on the site and the increased use of offsite and near site production.
• The Research & Innovation grant package is designed to support the development of products that will increase Pre-Manufactured Value (PMV), and reduce the embodied carbon, in residential construction.
• And through the Sustainability package Enterprise Ireland can support clients on their journey to sustainability through targeted grants that enable them to develop high impact carbon reduction plans.
To date, 45 companies have been supported under the Built to Innovate programme, with a total of over €6.5 million in grants approved over the past three years.
Under the new Housing Plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, Enterprise Ireland will increase its level of company engagement, promoting tailored packages of financial and soft supports, aiming to achieve a doubling of its investment to date in the residential construction sector.
In addition, Enterprise Ireland will introduce a tailored training and mentorship programme on Strategic Financial Leadership for residential construction supply-chain clients to assist with financial management in ambitious SMEs.
The expanded Built to Innovate offer will be focused on three interrelated target cohorts as follows: Advanced Manufacturing (offsite manufacturers of primary structures, components and subassemblies), Lean Site Process (builders / main contractors and integrated offsite manufacturing), and Promotion of Lean methodologies along the supply chain (from design to completion).
