310. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the amount spent annually on LEO mentoring; the way in which mentors are selected and allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51411/26]

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), located within the 31 Local Authorities, play an extremely important role as part of a supportive ecosystem providing advice and support to small businesses across the country. Among these supports is the LEO Mentor Programme, which is designed to match experienced business practitioners with business owners and managers who require practical and strategic guidance to support the establishment, growth and development of their enterprises.

Mentors are procured at local level by individual Local Enterprise Offices and Local Authorities through an application and evaluation process. Successful applicants are appointed to a mentoring panel and are required to enter into an Agreement for the Provision of Mentoring Services and adhere to a Code of Conduct before undertaking mentoring assignments. Mentors must also comply with all relevant legislative requirements, including data protection obligations under GDPR and national legislation.

Mentoring support is allocated by the LEO on the basis of the identified needs of the client business. Each application for mentoring assistance is assessed individually and is preceded by a business needs analysis. This process identifies the key challenges and opportunities facing the business and determines the most appropriate mentoring objectives. Based on this assessment, a mentor with the relevant expertise and experience is matched to the business.

The amount spent annually for the last five years on LEO mentoring is set out below.

LEO Mentoring 2020-2025