Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State, Deputy Sean Sherlock, will not be surprised to hear I believe it is not a good idea to impose these sick pay conditions on employers now. If it had been ten years ago, I would probably not have objected. However, in the current economic climate it is not a good idea. Conditions are already difficult for small and medium-sized businesses. While the Government is keen to talk up export figures, which is fair enough as they are important, the manner in which the domestic economy has been abandoned is disappointing.

Austerity is having a direct impact on most small and medium-sized businesses, whereas the multinationals are independent enough to deal with these pressures and difficulties. We are all familiar with most of the issues relating to the domestic economy, including local authority rates. During the general election campaign everyone was going to tackle them, given that they were not going down, while everything else was. They have still not gone down and it remains a significant problem. It is directly linked with local government - more the lack of it – and its dependence on rates.

Despite rumours to the contrary and reports in the newspapers, I still employ 50 people in the restaurant sector. Rising energy costs, for instance, can have a dramatic effect on the sector.

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