Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

Enterprise Ireland gives financial and non-financial support, for example access to Enterprise Ireland's overseas office network, marketing, research, technical, technology and training advice and specific programmes aimed at entrepreneurs such as the enterprise start and enterprise platform. Enterprise Ireland's high potential start-ups division works with the regional teams to encourage regionally-based, high-potential start-ups, and that is good.

One aspect of the motion that is to be warmly welcomed is the plan to reduce red tape for small businesses. I come from a business background for most of my adult life and the small and medium-sized enterprises have to put up with significant red tape, such as multiple forms from the Central Statistics Office. The farming sector complains about red tape but small and medium-sized enterprises have a huge amount of red tape and we must get rid of it.

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