Matt Shanahan urges emergency task force for struggling SMEs
Matt Shanahan warned that small and medium enterprises face a "tsunami of difficulty" and called on the government to create an emergency task force, to include ISME on the LEAF board and to help non-exporting firms access export markets. He said the combination of rising costs and administrative barriers risks business redundancies and rising unemployment.
Problems reported by SMEs
The Deputy recounted a meeting with SME representatives who described a range of pressures - energy bills, delays accessing energy grants and rebates, rising commercial rates, insurance problems and town planning issues - all described as crippling many businesses ahead of Christmas.
Specific asks from the SME community
He outlined two concrete requests from the SME sector: the inclusion of ISME on the board of LEAF and the creation of a body to help non-exporting businesses try to access export markets within the domestic economy.
Call for an emergency task force
The Deputy asked the government to develop an emergency task force to address the severe problems in the indigenous sector, warning that without urgent intervention there will be a raft of business redundancies and growing unemployment in the new year.
Response from the Tánaiste and state bodies
The Tánaiste said a task force existed up to a year ago and that its recommendations have been implemented by Ministers of State in the Department of Enterprise. She said LEAF does valuable work, noted the long-standing ISME issue and that IBEC represents on LEAF while also containing an SME component. She added that Enterprise Ireland looks after export companies and argued there should be a continuum from LEOs and the micro-enterprise sector to help firms reach start-up and export readiness.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
The Taoiseach, Enterprise Committee this morning, we were meeting representatives from the SME community and listening to the tsunami of difficulty that is facing small business in this country and medium sized business. They range from the energy bills to delays to accessing energy grants and rebates and on top of that rising rates, insurance problems and town planning issues which are crippling many businesses coming up to Christmas. So they've asked for two things. One was the inclusion of ISME on the board of LEAF, which I've previously brought up in this house before, and also the creation of a body to help non-exporting businesses try and access export markets in terms of the domestic economy. But I would ask one more thing, Tisha. Given the really significant problems in the Indigenous sector, will the government look at developing a task force, an emergency task force, to try and look at the incredible challenges now facing small business, or we will have a raft of business redundancies and we will have a raft of unemployment building in the new year? Tisha. Thank you, Margaret. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue because small to medium sized enterprises are the backbone of our economy. My understanding there was a task force up to a year ago complete and its recommendations have been implemented by the Ministers for State in the Department of Enterprise. And in terms of LEAF, LEAF does very valuable work. It's a long-standing issue in terms of ISME. IBEC is on LEAF representing, I know, but there is an SME component to IBEC as well. Look, I know the issues in terms of the multiplicity of different, well there's two bodies in the main, in that SME category. And I think, generally speaking, on the export side then, Enterprise Ireland do look after export companies. And I've always felt there should be a continuum from LEOs or from the micro enterprise sector to enable companies to get to the start-up position and export. Thank you, Tisha. Thank you, Tisha. You
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
