2026-04-28

125. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will consider targeted supports for family-run and seasonal businesses in Mayo that are particularly vulnerable to economic fluctuations, in view of the fact that these businesses are often the backbone of the economy in rural areas and require support year round; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30586/26]

Seasonal businesses, like many in my county of Mayo, are particularly vulnerable to economic fluctuations. Will the Department consider targeted supports to these businesses that are often the backbone of the economy in rural areas but also the social environment? Given there are three out of five Oireachtas Members from Mayo in the Chamber, I wish everybody a happy Mayo Day, four days early.

As Deputy Keogh said, family-run and seasonal businesses are the backbone of rural economies like ours in County Mayo. They sustain employment, support tourism and hold communities together while often operating on tight margins and facing unique challenges linked to seasonality, distance and volatility. The Government fully recognises this reality. Rather than narrow, sector-specific schemes, our approach is to ensure that enterprise supports are flexible, accessible and responsive to businesses with different operating models, including those that are seasonal or family owned. My Department works closely with Fáilte Ireland, the local enterprise offices and Enterprise Ireland to help rural businesses extend trading seasons, manage costs, upskill staff and adapt to changing economic conditions. In tourism and hospitality, which are critically important right across the country, Fáilte Ireland provides practical, cost-management supports including free food and beverage and energy costs toolkits and confidential one-to-one clinics. These supports are designed specifically to help small, seasonal operators protect margins, reduce waste and improve resilience. At a local level, the local enterprise office in Mayo plays a central role, and in 2025 alone it supported 200 client businesses and over 1,380 jobs, with a strong focus on competitiveness, digitalisation and energy efficiency. Mayo businesses have also seen a strong uptake in grants such as the energy efficiency grant, green for business, grow digital and LEAN for business. Access to these supports have also been simplified to the national enterprise hub that supports over 250 Government supports. Enterprise Ireland also continues to support job creation and indigenous enterprise growth right across Mayo, with over 6,500 people employed in Enterprise Ireland-supported companies.

I thank the Minister for State. I also thank the Minister, Deputy Burke, for visiting Westport earlier in the year and meeting with our businesses. However, I have to say and I am sure the Minister of State is aware, the last few weeks have been hugely difficult. I have met with business people who maybe do not call to the office or do not usually talk to me on the street about their problems. I am thinking about a retailer who inherited the family business who is close to closing the doors of a clothes shop. I am thinking of a beautician who has been open for 15 years who told me this was the hardest year ever. I am thinking of the pubs that are closing in places like Achill or Ballycroy, which are where men in their 60s, 70s or 80s especially, who may not be in men's sheds yet, go for social connection. Do we have to help those pubs transition from pubs into community hubs or think outside the box? I think of an ice cream shop that would love to stay open until 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock at night but cannot get the staff.

We do all meet those types of business owners. However, the Government has looked at how we can respond and how we can support many businesses that are feeling the impact of rising costs. Through the cost of business advisory forum we have had SME representatives very much at the heart of reviewing the structural costs within their businesses and, indeed, we will be shaping the next phase of measures once that report comes before the Government. How we respond will be crucially important in terms of the practical measures and the evidence-based decisions. We are also undertaking a review in regard to the grants that are being administered through the local enterprise offices. We will have more details in the coming weeks on whether the grants are doing what they should be doing. Notwithstanding that there has been a good uptake in grants in Mayo, are they being measured through an additional employee or are they building resilience into the businesses that are currently operating? That is really what we want to hear for businesses.

It is very obvious we have been doing a lot to support and I think of the 9% VAT rate in the hospitality industry, which has been really welcome. What struck me about these businesses is that they do not seem to be reaching out for the local enterprise office supports. They do not seem to be aware of that cost of business advisory forum or the small business unit. What are we doing wrong that these business people I am meeting in the street do not seem to be aware of these supports or they are saying these supports are not enough? From an outreach perspective, what are the plans in order that we can reach these people who feel like they are on the cusp of closing their doors? The biggest thing that came across when the Minister visited Westport and met with the chamber of commerce was rates. Businesses were talking about when they were paying rates when they first opened their doors, they were getting rubbish collection and free water, and now they feel it is only the roads and the lighting they are getting. We need to go a bit further to reach these businesses that are telling me they are not feeling the support and are close to closing their doors.

I thank the Deputy again for her question and response. The Minister and I chair the retail forum and the enterprise forum. We also co-chair the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, dealing with employers and employees. We try to gauge the feedback regarding where supports are required and how we can actually look at this, not just in the short term but also the long term, and the structural needs of many businesses. That is why, as I said earlier, the local enterprise office is the first port of call for somebody starting a new business but we do also identify there are many businesses that fall through the cracks and who are not being supported by the local enterprise office. We need to bring them in. That is why Enterprise Ireland is looking at its own structures and trying to create a centre of excellence that will have more broad outreach to those businesses because they are Irish businesses creating vital employment in our local areas. Indeed, they may not want grants available through the local enterprise offices but it is a case of how we can support them in different ways, such as through mentoring and expert advice. Can they become the next company that has export potential? It is about building that leadership capability within those companies as well.