Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, well done to the Chairman and members of the Joint Committee on Jobs Enterprise and Innovation. I am not a member of this committee but I sit in whenever I get an opportunity to attend the meetings. The committee is inviting groups to discuss the potential economic impact of Brexit, which is really important. I chair the only entrepreneurial organisation for the Thirty-two Counties of the North and South of Ireland. We have 172,000 people employed and they are all in well paid work. Frankly, we often resent broad-brush statements made from time to time on zero hours contracts and so on. That may happen in some cases but it does not happen in the vast majority of cases.

I am concerned about joined-up thinking. I see the Chairman and members are pulling things together, which is really important but I am still very concerned about joined up thinking. I believe many SMEs are looking at moving, in fact I chaired a board meeting this morning and a number of companies are looking at moving their base from Ireland to the UK. For example, a company from Wexford with a staff of between 280 to 300 staff is moving their head office to the UK. It is more effective for them to work from the United Kingdom than from Ireland because of the regulation, challenges and difficulties and the extra support that companies get in the UK and Northern Ireland. I believe this is an issue that need to be seriously addressed because we will lose our indigenous companies.

I would like to hear the views of the witnesses from IBEC and the chambers of commerce on tourism. A significant issue in regard to tourism is that 42% of all the tourism income comes from the UK. When one considers that the UK may be going into a semi-recession and that foreign exchange is going in the wrong direction for us, that will have a significant impact. In my view this is particularly true for its impact on tourism businesses, such as bed and breakfasts, pubs, bars and so on in rural areas. They are not able to avail of funding and support from Enterprise Ireland. In that regard, what would the chambers of commerce and IBEC think of getting the SMEs which are members of their organisations to do a self-audit? Have they a tool for a self-audit? I accept that mentoring and so on is great on a one-to-one basis. I believe if small businesses did a self-audit and reflected on it, one would see the trends in different regions, similar to Dundalk and the Border counties. I am delighted that Mr. Paddy Malone is present. It is fabulous that Mr. Malone is here, because he raised a particular case in point that needs to be looked at. Quite frankly there are slightly different issues in different parts of Ireland. I believe that IBEC, the Small Firms Association, ISME and the chambers of commerce are in an ideal position to carry out an audit and give the results to this committee, so that it can help us in the joined up thinking and making things happen.