Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

The report compiled by the accounting firm Mazars showed that 67% of completed credit applications were approved by the banks, representing an increase of 2% on the previous year's report, with the rate of refusals falling by a corresponding amount of approximately 28%. Despite the downturn, the report indicates that some companies are still in a position to protect their finances from potential problems.

It is important that we give ISME, the small business community and its other representative organisations their due regard, but it is also important that we be objective in our interpretation of the figures. If one drills into the figures, one will realise that some of the results in the survey to which the Deputy referred were based on media perceptions of credit. It is important that we assess the qualitative criteria.

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