Ms Aviné McNally:

I will respond to these questions. We would agree with much of what Mr. Talbot has been saying. We deal with small firms that employ fewer than 50 people. Those involved with such companies say that when they open their doors each day, it is crippling to have to wait for people to come in and spend money. Confidence and certainty are key issues for many of them. Business costs continue to be a significant issue for many of the people to whom one talks. One has to bear in mind that companies have really trimmed the fat on their businesses over the last couple of years. Obviously, they have to meet standard costs every day in order to keep their doors open. While many companies have taken their own cost bases under control, many companies in the small business sector find that other costs are being imposed on them from Government-administered areas. I refer to local authority commercial rates, water charges and energy costs, for example. Each company has to absorb such costs because it is very difficult in the current climate to pass them back down the chain to the consumer or customer. The other issue I would like to mention in this context was alluded to by our chairman, Mr. Nolan, in his opening comments about funding. Cash flow and access to working capital are significant issues, particularly for small businesses and microbusinesses.