Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the chance to say a few words on this Bill, and I am glad the Minister has had a chance to bring it in. I know it was a complicated Bill to bring together, but it is something we have been talking about for a number of years and we should have had it as far back as 2008 and 2009 when it was needed immediately. It will still be very beneficial. It is still needed and Deputy Boyd Barrett is right in that respect. It is to be hoped this Bill will help close the gap where banks are afraid due to the risks involved, or when they cannot assess the risk, or whatever, and encourage extra lending. I have no doubt it will be successful. It has worked in other countries and is another small step that will make a difference.

I have said in opposition and I will say again now that businesses need credit. Credit is a tool of business. Almost all businesses cannot function unless there is access to credit. I accept there have been some improvements in the past year, but we still do not have enough improvements and there are still far too many businesses which cannot get the credit they need to survive week to week, do their business, create jobs and increase their turnover. I know this because I deal with people weekly, either as a Deputy in Navan or on the Oireachtas committee of which I am a member. I know of people who own businesses that have ideas, who have a chance to grow their business, who could do better and create more jobs, but who cannot get credit. I have met representatives of the banks in recent months, and while I can see there have been improvements, we need Bills such as this to force that improvement, because we simply have to get money out to businesses.

This Bill is one part of the jobs action plan. I think there are about 270 actions in that plan this year. Some of them are very basic. The managing director of Hewlett Packard was at our committee today and he made it very clear that even those basic things need to be done. For too long in this country, when it comes to business and enterprise, we have not been ticking those boxes. They have been ignored. We must get back to basics and get things right. That means cutting red tape and having access to money, information, planners and so on. The action plan for jobs focuses the minds of officials in every Department to think jobs and enterprise. I commend the Minister, the other Ministers who helped me and the Taoiseach on driving it on. This is part of it and it is needed.

There is an issue with the banks in respect of the skills base required to assess risk. I do not believe the banks have enough people with the skills needed to assess loans, to judge cash flow statements and to work it all out. That is why they are reluctant to lend, even when they have got money, because there is no doubt they have been recapitalised. They should have money and there is no excuse not to have money, but they have not got the ability or the skills in some areas to lend that money. This Bill, which takes some of the risk away from the banks, will encourage that, and one hopes we will see credit being given out more quickly.

Credit has to be given to viable businesses. There is no point in giving credit to businesses which are not viable and which do not have a market in which to operate. It has to be for businesses that have an opportunity and a chance in the future, and there are many of them. It is important that people realise there is hope for this country. We meet people of all ages every day with a new idea and a new business, and they have the guts to go out and try it. The Government is trying to help them get those ideas off the ground. They will do that and create jobs. We meet people every day whose businesses are beginning to grow again and who are creating jobs. There are now 11,000 extra jobs than there were a year ago, and yet most people we talk to on the doorstep do not know that. I accept 11,000 is a small amount compared with more than 300,000 people with no job at all, but it is a step in the right direction as it is the first time in four years we have had growth.

It is about time we started talking about positive things. I have no problem dealing with negativity. I go through problems and answer queries and so on, but there is a duty on all Members of this House to let the people know there is some hope. This Bill will increase that hope. We have to sell the positivity and let people know about this. I ask every small business owner to engage fully with the process, whether in this scheme or even just with the banks. They should see the process through. They should not accept the telephone call telling them they will not get it. They should see it through, do the paperwork and make the application, and then we can follow it up to ensure it was dealt with properly, or find out why it was refused if it was refused. It is no longer acceptable to be taking a telephone call saying it will not be granted.

May I say one last thing on behalf of the Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation? The members of the select committee know this is an urgent matter and we will make arrangements to expedite Committee Stage of the Bill. We know this is an important Bill and we will deal with it as quickly as we can.

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