Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 30 June 2020

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response

Impact of Covid-19: SME Recovery

Photo of Matt ShanahanMatt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Moran. On the other point he or somebody else made regarding the functioning of the economy and a resurgence of the virus, one of the other issues that arose at out meeting last week related to the contact tracing activity that is happening. Some 10% of contacts are turning out to be asymptomatic Covid cases. If we are going to have a resurgence, it is going to happen because of the lack of social distancing that I see happening on the streets and in shops; it will not be because of the activities of SMEs.

I know from being the owner of an SME that one of the things SMEs require is visibility. They need to know what the landscape will be into the future. Is there any provision for Government to put some sort of architecture together to bring rents, rates, utilities and wage supports all under one catch-all structure whereby SMEs can be protected, obtain access to negotiating expertise, etc.?

If businesses reopening at the moment do not have long-term visibility of the likes of rents, rates and utilities, many of them, and particularly those that are marginal, will not use the last of their savings to try to reopen the business. It is a non-runner.

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