Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Chair for letting me back in. I have an example of an SME that is operating in the tourism, leisure and outdoor sector. The owner made approaches to Close Brothers and KBCI in respect of SBCI funding. When he contacted KBCI, he was informed that it was using the SBCI future growth loan scheme fund, but it was, and I quote from the email, "only offering loans to businesses registered with a professional body". I ask the SBCI to carry out an examination of that interaction internally. I can give the witnesses the name of the company following the meeting. None of us wants to see unnecessary impediments being put in the way of SMEs if they happen to be seeking funding in a sector of the economy that might not pass muster with "banking types". I might be a little unkind in my use of language. The application is somewhat left field, but nonetheless, it is worth further examination. The owner seems to have to jump through hoops with the SBCI in order to pass muster. The main point that I am making is that certain sectors of the economy should not be discounted on the basis that they are not deemed to be fashionable or de rigueur.