Professor Cathal O'Donoghue:

One of the objectives of the CEDRA report was to try to shine a light on those sectors that were not as visible, including the SME sector in small and medium-sized towns. In the SME sector there is a substantial number of jobs provided, even more than the number available in the larger business sector. There are as many people living in small and medium-sized towns as there are in the greater Dublin area, but often national policies skim over their importance. To deliver rural economic development one needs to meet the needs of both segments, as stated throughout our report.