Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabh mo leiscéal. I think it is a bigger issue.

Mr. Mark Fielding of ISME is an outstanding ambassador for small and medium Irish businesses. He is dealing with their struggles. There is a perception that people in business are making a fortune, they are making money by doing something irregular, or breaking the law. There needs to be an honest debate on business.

There are 250,000 people who are unemployed, with 1,600 emigrating every week. What is important is how we deal with that issue and how we get people back into employment. As I have said on numerous occasions, a job gives people much more than money, it gives them a place to go every day, where they will mix and socialise. It transforms their lives. Nearly half of the 250,000 people who are unemployed have been unemployed in the long term. That is a terrifying situation. It is a bigger issue than how it is being addressed, where there is a perception that those who have been unemployed in the longer term are playing the system. I do not believe that.

Those in business want to grow their business.

It is not just about money. Nobody will go through the difficulties and trauma of building up a business, holding on to it and sustaining it. This is a bigger issue which it is good to debate.