Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his work on this Bill to date. The Bill is very welcome but it has caused a great deal of concern among small business owners. We are all aware well aware that the bulk of businesses are small, owner-operated businesses. This will pose an additional headache for them while at the same time they recognise that the Bill and the statutory right to sick leave and pay needs to be enshrined in legislation.

It is important safeguards are put in place for those small businesses and, following on from what the previous speaker said, those small businesses feel greatly at risk. We are very much an enterprise committee here and there is an onus on us to help cultivate and generate enterprise across the country. Several small business owners I have spoken to would see this scheme as a possible deterrent to them taking on staff in the future. There has to be scope to look at the possibility of a rebate scheme where employers can avoid a double whammy. This has been raised with us by many representative groups and small business owners who will have to pay the sick pay and, in the case of a business that perhaps only employs three or four people and is public-facing, will have to bring in a person in to cover that work for the day. They will face a double whammy. Some engagement with Revenue should be possible so that we can come up with a rebate scheme that ensures those businesses are not penalised. Even with the smallest of businesses, which may not have the most sophisticated risk matrix, they will operate that risk matrix but within their own heads and will see this as a high-risk scenario. Provision needs to put in place so that they are not being penalised on the double. I would hope this suggestion can be considered in an amendment.