Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 July 2026
80. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if there are any moves toward the establishment of a single portal for grant applications that will assist SMEs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51947/26]
View answerWhile there are no plans currently underway to establish a single application portal for all business grants, the National Enterprise Hub (NEH) was established as a signposting service to simplify access to information on grants and supports for businesses.
The NEH is an all-of-Government signposting service for businesses that brings together multiple agencies and Government departments under one roof. The Hub was designed to help businesses navigate and access a wide range of Government supports. It is staffed with trained advisors within Enterprise Ireland who can assess the specific needs of a business and connect them with the most appropriate supports or agencies. The NEH now includes over 250 different supports for businesses from 32 Government bodies.
Since launching in July 2024, the NEH has engaged directly with over 14,500 SMEs and generated more than 310,000 page views. Demand continues to grow, with 940 queries received in May 2026 alone, representing a 30% increase on the same period last year. The average response time has consistently remained under 24 hours.
The NEH is also driving increased traffic to the wider enterprise support ecosystem, with referrals to partner agencies increasing significantly and all major agencies seeing growth in referral volumes.
My Department works closely with Enterprise Ireland and a cross-government stakeholder group on ensuring content remains up to date and on how to improve the NEH further. A high priority for current developments is a greater emphasis on simplification.
Simplification and the once-only principle of data provision will be advanced as the NEH seeks to ensure that businesses who contact the NEH do not need to repeatedly provide the same information when referred on to another agency.
In this regard, work on a proof of concept for a form to capture all essential company details at the point of contact with the NEH, enabling seamless referrals to LEOs and other support agencies, is underway. This approach aims to ensure that certain key information is captured in all instances and removes the need for agencies to re-enter the same information, reducing duplication and improving overall efficiency.
This work reflects the Government's commitment to simplification and reducing the administrative burden on businesses seeking to access the wide range of supports available across Government.
