Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

Consumer confidence is at rock bottom. It is sad to say that this Government has done little to help the unemployed and to protect small businesses. As previous speakers have pointed out, the Minister for Finance promised a wall of cash which would get credit going to small businesses when NAMA was established. There was no such wall of cash, but small businesses that have run into difficulty and have had short-term cash problems have met a wall of silence from the banks, banks which we taxpayers bailed out.

I see it every day in every town and village my county. Shops, pubs, small companies and post offices all closing down and many of these go unreported because the numbers losing their jobs are small, but the closures add up and the numbers involved are significant. Near my constituency office in Ennis for example, the owner of Tony's Menswear, which has been in the town for 21 years, has announced that it will close shortly. He is angry because he has been forced to close. Rents are too high and rates are an issue for many businesses. The shopkeeper in my local shop told me that small business rates are €10,000 per year in a rural area. People cannot afford to pay these rates. Tony's Menswear is just one example and this could be the thin end of the wedge for other businesses if small businesses are not given a lifeline. Deputy D'Arcy referred to an important issue in respect of people who close down their businesses, in that they are not entitled to jobseeker's benefit for 12 months. That is wrong, given the number of businesses closing down.

Electricity prices are high. We all know of the amount of money that small businesses must spend on fridges and coolers. In my constituency, Kilrush town centre has seen businesses close recently. It has a domino effect and will affect many other businesses.

We need a fresh approach. Fine Gael has outlined one to the Minister. A partial credit guarantee scheme is the way forward. Small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, act as a lifeline for other businesses and many manufacturing businesses have gone elsewhere. Creating two, three, four, five or six jobs in every village is the way forward. There must be some type of market intervention. Billions of euro have been spent on saving the banks. It is a no brainer that the sector which provides a large number of jobs should be given a lifeline.

I commend the motion and Deputy Perry for tabling it. I hope the Minister will take heed. If he does not, rural Ireland will take heed of him.

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