John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

We are doing something. The Competition Authority has spoken with local authorities about the procurement contracts worth €15 billion in total and opening up the market to small companies to compete for contracts worth less than €25,000. Local authorities are in discussions with small companies.

It is a question of survival. Despite all of the pessimism, it is not all doom and gloom among the small companies that I visit as Minister of State. It is important to note that many companies trade successfully. Small companies are the backbone of the economy, although there are dominant players.

The scale of our economy is small. In the context of the 500 million people in Europe, the Single Market presents Irish businesses with opportunities in the UK, Northern Ireland and elsewhere in Europe.

See this speech in context