288. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the supports available for trades persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54296/26]

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are located in each of the 31 Local Authorities and provide advice and support to small businesses across all sectors.

I would encourage anyone looking to start up their own business to seek advice from their LEO and would advise any prospective entrepreneur to undertake the LEO Start Your Own Business programme (SYOB). The programme guides entrepreneurs through the various aspects of business and business planning. It assists clients in honestly assessing their business idea, its viability, and helps them to decide if they should proceed.

The LEOs also offer business capability training and mentoring to new business owners, and productivity supports in the areas of Lean, Green, and Digital once established.

The LEOs do offer direct grant assistance to small businesses. However, it should be noted that grants that are specifically designed for growth or exporting are aimed at those in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. These cannot be provided to businesses in areas such as personal services, local retail, or local professional services as it may give rise to displacement of businesses in the locality.

More generally, I would refer individuals with general queries on support and advice for businesses to the National Enterprise Hub (NEH).  The NEH was established as an all-of-Government signposting service to simplify access to information on government grants and supports for businesses.

The NEH brings together multiple agencies and Government departments under one roof and 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.

In addition, to assist businesses such as the ones described with start-up costs, Micro Finance Ireland (MFI), which is a not-for-profit lender, offers small business loans for commercially viable proposals. MFI loans can be used to help fund start-up costs, working capital or business expansion and by applying through their Local Enterprise Office, clients can avail of a 1% reduction in the interest rate charged. These loans are available to any business (Sole Trader, Partnership or Limited Company) with less than 10 employees subject to certain eligibility criteria.

It should be noted that Government policy in relation to apprenticeships lies with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Any specific policy on the development of apprenticeships should be directed to that department.