I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Small Business Unit was established in my Department last year, fulfilling a Programme for Government commitment.
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 this Unit and my Department will use to enable its 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.
In 2025, 33 SME Tests were applied by 10 Government Departments. This compares to 26 SME Tests applied by 8 Government Departments in 2024. Since the establishment of the reporting framework in 2021, a total of 81 SME Tests have been applied across 14 Government Departments. I am keen for this number to grow every year, and my officials and I are looking at ways to improve enforcement of the SME Test.
Secondly, access to grants and support programmes have been simplified through the launch of 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.
Since launching in July 2024, the NEH has handled over 12,000 enquiries. Monthly volumes have grown steadily, with over 1,000 queries received in December 2025 alone. My Department is working on how to improve the NEH further with a greater emphasis on simplification.
Third, the Small Business Unit has responsibility for the Local Enterprise Offices. We are ensuring the LEOs are properly resourced to help small businesses. A review of the full suite of LEO supports is currently underway while my Department and EI have completed a review of applications for all LEO grant schemes to reduce the number of questions and simplify requirements.
This review has resulted in a reduction of application questions across all schemes - for example down 47% for Business Expansion Grants, down 30% for the Green for Business Grant and down 28% for the Feasibility Grant, with further reductions targeted.
While the Small Business Unit is responsible for the areas outlined above, responsibility for the development and implementation of the Government’s Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, and for measures relating to the identification of redundant regulations, rests outside the direct remit of the Unit and is led by other relevant areas of the Department.
However, I can say that the development and implementation of the Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity has been supported through a comprehensive whole-of-government process that included extensive cross-departmental consultation, bilateral engagements led by the Department with key partners in areas such as infrastructure, housing, and research and innovation, and the assignment of clear accountability for each of the Plan’s 85 actions with defined timelines. Progress structures have been established, including regular reporting to Cabinet and a dedicated review at the 2026 Competitiveness Summit. Although the Action Plan has been in effect for only four months, most actions are already in progress, with several key deliverables completed or imminent—such as the publication of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce’s final report and the forthcoming report of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum.
Offices and agencies under my Department’s aegis have been asked to reflect on their processes to consider how they may be simplified without compromising policy objectives. Efforts on this front will be set out in each organisation’s annual report for 2025.
In terms of legislative change, the Companies Act was updated through the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Act 2024 which introduced a range of practical reforms consistent with ensuring that Ireland’s regulatory framework provides flexibility and is fit for modern business operating in an increasingly digital and virtual environment. Work is also ongoing to modernise and reform a range of other legislation including the Co-operative Societies Bill and legislation relating to Limited Partnerships and Business Names.
I would like to assure the Deputy that the Government and my Department have been and are still 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.
