Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to the delegations before us, who have been most forthright and informative in terms of the information we are getting. I have two questions for IBEC. IBEC has regional offices. There is evidence that many small companies do not have the resources to develop export markets. Is IBEC, through its regional offices or any other mechanism, proactive in trying to identify such companies, which could be the Glanbias of the future? Related to this is the matter of the FDI and pharmaceutical companies in respect of which licences for certain prominent drugs are due to expire. What impact will this have on our exports?

My second question relates to a good point made by Mr. Slein, which was that the biggest challenge facing most of our companies is credit. I note Mr. Butler referred to the damage to Ireland's reputation. It is accepted that the banks were a prime player in this regard. The banks are also prominent members of IBEC. Is there some discussion going on within the IBEC family to try to get the banks to function in a way that supports small businesses and to deal with the high levels of debt, particularly private debt, which, if they do not address this issue, will prevent them from providing credit in the future? Is there any activity within IBEC in this regard?