COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 26, 2016

QUESTION NO.19

QUESTION: Councillor E. O'Brien

To ask the CEO to confirm the number of businesses in the County who have availed of the Business Support Grant on the past 12 months.

REPLY:

The Business Support Grants were introduced in 2014, as a measure to support and sustain small businesses in the South Dublin County Council area. 1491 applications were approved under the Business Support Grant scheme in 2015, with grants amounting to €573,700 paid to the recipients, in 2015.

To the 2nd September 2016, we have received 493 Business Support Grant applications for 2016.

There are other schemes, introduced in 2016, to help sustain local businesses, under the Business Support Fund. They are the Industrial Area Improvement Schemes, Individual Unit Supports, Microenterprise Development Fund and the Microenterprise Start Up Support, further details of which are available from the Local Enterprise Office, or through the LEO and Council websites.

Three of the funds support physical works and are aimed at encouraging occupiers to improve the investment potential of industrial estates or units in which they are resident, in particular those industrial estates experiencing high levels of obsolescence, dereliction, vacancy and abandonment. The other fund is specifically aimed at supporting existing small scale businesses and start-up businesses utilising previously vacant units.