Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a question for Mr. O'Regan and it is similar to what Senator O'Reilly asked about with regard to access to finance. It has been stated it is not a significant challenge for most Irish SMEs and that it sits at approximately 8%. We have had a series of meetings and many organisations have come before the committee, and that is not the reading we are getting. My colleagues will agree with me that access to finance is an issue. Do the witnesses have any figures on the percentage of SME loan applications accepted? What are the main reasons, apart from the obvious, that loan applications from SMEs are rejected? These are very valid points.

My next question is for Mr. Lauhoff. He mentioned Brexit working capital loans, and Bank of Ireland has been allocated €128 million. I presume other organisations have been also allocated money. Is it only SMEs exposed specifically to Brexit that can access this finance? It is something the Government announced last year. Are there very strict criteria for SMEs to try to avail of this working capital if they are specifically exposed to Brexit?