Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I want to raise with the Taoiseach the concern about the deterioration in the protection and securing of jobs. Is the Taoiseach aware of how urgent this problem is and of how much an emergency it is for thousands of small businesses? We were told a litany of falsehoods by the Government. We were told the bank guarantee would be the cheapest bail-out possible, that Anglo Irish Bank would be restored as a creditworthy institution, that the Bank of Ireland and AIB would return a dividend to the taxpayer and that NAMA would prevent bank nationalisation while providing a wall of cash for businesses.

From reports from Mazars, UCC and the Central Bank, however, it is obvious thousands of small businesses are going to the wall, even as we speak. No time can be lost as this is far too urgent and serious. The real position is that we have no NAMA, no credit, no dividend and soon we will lose thousands of more jobs. The recent UCC report shows 60% of small businesses have been refused credit. Every Deputy has evidence of small businesses having their overdrafts cut by 50% and having to reduce staff. Credit is drying up before our eyes.

The Taoiseach and his Ministers gave us a litany of falsehoods over the past 18 months since this crisis began. On behalf of the thousands of employers struggling every day to hold on to their employees and attempting to invest in creating new business, I want to know from the Taoiseach the Government's plan to allow credit be extended to businesses as a matter of urgency.

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