Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I appreciate that, not all Ministers do it. It does not, however, address the problem that there must be some leeway to allow those people to get off the ground.

There is a business in south Monaghan in a factory that was closed for many years. It is now a cement works, a completely different enterprise from the towel factory it once was. It has been compared to all sorts of other businesses for rates. This company decided to utilise the steel work to ensure its workers were covered while making the cement where many of its competitors work in the open air. The company was given a valuation of €1,196 or a rate bill of €63,000 for 30 workers. There must be a degree of fairness in the system, and this is completely over the top. I talked to a number of people in the business and they say this is madness because the company will have to shed jobs to find the means to pay the bill if it is to continue in business. It is a miracle the factory has reopened. CPD in Clones was a major ratepayer and it is lying empty.

We must be sympathetic towards small businesses that are trying to get off the ground and ensure they are not forced out of business. I welcome the ideas in the Bill but small businesses need help to get off the ground and extra levies are not the answer.

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