FUNDING OF €200,000 TO SUPPORT LIMERICK’S LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICES

Fine Gael TD for Limerick and Government TD on the Joint Oireáchtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Tom Neville, has welcomed the announcement of funding of €200,000 to support Limerick’s Local Enterprise Offices to help create local jobs.
“Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD and Minister of State for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen TD have confirmed that through a re-allocation of funding Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) across the country are receiving €1.85m for LEO clients.
“The funding is being made available to 15 LEOs to assist micro-enterprises in creating local jobs. It is being provided to those LEOs that have identified a pipeline of demand for financial assistance for projects that can be initiated this year.
“The funding of €200,000 for LEOs in Limerick will be used to provide direct capital grant assistance to micro-enterprises within the county. The aim is to assist Limerick entre-preneurs to start-up or expand their business. In total it is expected that the funding will assist micro-enterprises to create or sustain over 300 jobs across the country.
“The LEOs support some 6,500 client micro-enterprises across the country and last year created over 7,100 new full and part-time jobs. Since their establishment in 2014, the LEOs have been facing increased demand for their services as the economy recovers.
“I would encourage all micro and small business owners in Limerick to engage with their local LEO, even if they don’t currently need financial support, as there are a huge number of other supports available to them.
“Local Enterprise Offices are a key service in supporting local businesses and they provide an excellent first-stop-shop service for micro and small businesses here in Limerick and in every county in Ireland.
“Fine Gael in Government continues to prioritise job creation because we believe that only a strong economy, supporting people at work, can pay for the services needed to create a fair society here in Limerick and around the country.”