John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Is this nothing more than a rehash? Sometimes the problem is not a lack of ideas and responses. Sometimes when there are new ideas or ways to promote or support, say, SMEs the budget line that is needed to promote any other commodity or concept does not follow. We have heard from our meetings here, and it is important for Forfás to hear this to advise the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in case it does not listen to the committee, that there must be a budget line to promote these through an effective advertising campaign in order that the right people get to hear these things. That must be part of any new strategy, whether it be the Department of Social Protection in terms of an initiative to support taking on new people for labour activation measures or, in this case, directly supporting SMEs. Deputy Anthony Lawlor got it right when he said he did not know about it. I barely knew about it, having come across it by accident. I do not know what hope SMEs have as such but there must be a decent budget line that reflects the work being done to promote supports so that SMEs can access them.