Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)

I agree with the Deputy. Foreign direct investment is flowing strongly into the country now. Although it is a significant volume of investment, it is still not the main employer in the economy. The main employers are all the small businesses, as outlined by the Deputy, employing small numbers of people. Until they are restored to health, no impact will be made on reducing unemployment in the country. I agree in general with what the Deputy has said.

There is no shortage of schemes to assist small companies. Sometimes I feel many of these small companies do not know these schemes and write-offs are available to them. We must look at a way of communicating better, possibly through their representative organisations.

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