Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the team from IBEC. Deputy Seán Kyne and I had a fairly good discussion with Ms Suonperä and IBEC west members in Galway last week, so I will keep my questions relatively brief.

I agree with IBEC's, as it were, austerity-lite proposals. What would Mr. O'Brien say to the argument that some would put forward that if we go the way IBEC suggests, it will send out a wrong message that we are easing off too early and there is a danger that in doing so because we will begin to lose the confidence of the markets? On the specific proposal of the suggested adjustment of €2.6 billion instead of €3.1 billion, what forecasted rate of growth for the economy underpins the IBEC proposal?

On employment costs, I am completely with IBEC. My party tabled a Private Members' motion on sick pay last year. Would Mr. O'Brien reiterate the figures on the health costs, particularly the percentage of IBEC members who pay health costs for their employees? How does that rate, in terms of competitor countries, for what Mr. O'Brien called mobile investment? Is that a particularly Irish phenomenon or do all Ireland's competitor countries in this mobile investment area pay health cover as well?

On business financing, would Mr. O'Brien update the committee on where IBEC's members are in relation to finance generally and bank credit? Why, in its members' view, is there a relatively low uptake of the two schemes? We are trying to get our heads around that in particular. I welcome IBEC's proposal for an entrepreneur capital gains relief. How much would that cost in a 12 month period?