Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this extremely important issue. I cannot proceed without first expressing my frustration at some of the points made by Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett. He chose not to finish the story about the little boy with his finger in the dyke, but most of us know that, in the end, he kept his finger in so long that he was the saviour of Holland. The Deputy did not refer to that outcome and he is not in the Chamber now to hear what other Members made of his contribution. He repeatedly referred to the Bill as a mere drop in the ocean and of very little significance. I am not sure how good he was at science in school, but he surely knows that the ocean is made up of many millions of drops. This legislation represents an extremely important step forward but it is only one of a range of measures which, taken together, will lead to real progress. The Deputy went for so long about how it is such a small step that he seemed effectively to be saying that we should all sit on our hands and do absolutely nothing. With apologies for employing another cliché, I am sure Deputy Boyd Barrett knows as well as I that every long journey begins with the smallest step. I could say a great deal more in response to the Deputy but will try to refrain from doing so. I will point out, however, in response to his comments regarding rates that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, indicated in the House this morning that he will introduce the Valuation Act 2001(amendment) Bill later this year. The debate on that legislation will provide an opportunity to discuss the effect of rates on business.

I agree with a great many of the points raised by colleagues in today's debate. In particular, I support the call by Deputy Martin Heydon for a scheme to allow self-employed people whose businesses have failed to access social welfare supports. It became very clear to me during last year's election campaign that there are many such former business owners who made substantial profits in the boom but, unfortunately, did not pay into any scheme or support mechanism. We must consider developing a scheme into which business owners could contribute in the good times in order to avoid any repeat of the horror stories that have emerged in the recession. I am aware of a particular business that was established before the Famine, went on to survive two world wars, the violence of the years up to 1922 and all the other major upheavals that have occurred in this country. It could not, however, survive the Celtic tiger. That says a great deal about how this country has been brought to its knees.

I reject the notion that this Bill represents an insignificant step in seeking to address the difficulties facing small business. In the current climate, survival is the real success for small and medium-sized businesses. SMEs often lack collateral, which renders them unattractive to creditors. A lack of credit, in turn, inhibits those companies from investing in staff and new products or methodologies. In other words, they cannot build for the future. This forward-looking Bill will provide vital support to many small companies, the type of support which was noticeably lacking in the past. Access to credit is a fundamental requirement for the conduct of any business enterprise and these measures should lead to new job creation opportunities. Small and medium-sized businesses are accustomed to dealing with small amounts of money. In fact, it is a sign of their resilience that they can turn a small sum into something very significant.

I take this opportunity to remind the Minister of the report by the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly on the SME sector. There is a need for continuity and stability in Government initiatives targeting SMEs. Information on support schemes is not always communicated adequately to businesses by Departments. Perhaps the Minister can take on board the fact that SMEs understand what we are trying to do, but they want the relevant information to be easily accessible.

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