207. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will report on the work of the Small Business Unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45351/26]

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Small Business Unit was established in my Department last year. Since then, its remit has expanded to include the retail sector and its title is now the Small Business and Retail Unit. This is a sensible move given the crossover of issues and policy areas.

The Unit is tasked with ensuring that the needs and issues of small businesses have a dedicated focus across Government. This is work is aligned with four core areas of focus.

First, through the rigorous implementation of the SME Test, which 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 2021, a total of 89 SME Tests have been applied across 14 Government Departments, including 8 completed in Q1 2026. I am keen for this number to grow every year, and my officials and I are exploring how to improve enforcement.

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 and signposted over 14,000 enquiries. Monthly volumes have grown steadily, with 940 queries received in May 2026 alone. My Department is working on how to improve the NEH further with a greater emphasis on simplification.

The Small Business and Retail Unit also has responsibility for the Local Enterprise Offices and continues to ensure that the LEOs are properly resourced to help small businesses. A review of the full suite of LEO supports is currently underway, while previously, a review of applications for LEO grant schemes to reduce the number of questions and simplify requirements was completed. This review resulted in a significant reduction of application questions - for example down 47% for Business Expansion Grants and down 30% for the Green for Business Grant, with further reductions targeted.

Another role of the Unit is engagement with the retail sector, in particular through the Retail Forum. The Forum allows key issues of relevance to the retail sector to be discussed to identify practical actions which could be taken by Government, or by industry itself, to support the sector with particular emphasis on achieving sustainable jobs growth. The most recent meeting of the Forum took place on the 3 March 2026, and the next meeting of the Forum is scheduled for 11 November.

I would like to emphasise my Department’s commitment to ensure the actions aimed at supporting small businesses in the Programme for Government are implemented in an effective and timely manner.