John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To take the last point, very effective soft supports exist for small businesses, such as educational and mentoring supports. With regard to electricity, people do not realise commercial electricity charges here are cheaper than in Northern Ireland and Britain. People do not fully recognise that VAT is reclaimable and this reduces the unit cost to a very competitive rate. Business people do not make one fully aware of this.

With regard to upward-only rent reviews, it might be different on Grafton Street but in Castlebar and smaller towns landlords believe some money is better than no money and if a tenant states he or she can pay only half the rent paid in 2007, many landlords will accept this. The commercial reality has surfaced and most business people will accept lower rents regardless of the legislation. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, has stated on many occasions that new rental agreements have an option for downward rent reviews, but the Attorney General has stated we cannot retrospectively deal with rents.

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