Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One point that I, those who have made representations to me and others wish to ascertain is when the aforementioned report will be finalised and when action will be taken on it. As I stated, jobs are being haemorrhaged, primarily in the private sector and among self-employed people. The Small Firms Association also has identified a potential pitfall in this regard that it will be important to avoid from the perspective of the self-employed. It is that while the Minister of State has outlined the contribution that would be required in percentage terms, it cannot be regarded as some form of additional revenue-generating exercise into the future. It must be on a voluntary basis because, as I noted at the outset, there is no redundancy provision or safety net for self-employed people. These are the risk-takers in the State who create the wealth and the employment from which the rest of society can benefit. The State's public finances will not be dealt with in any meaningful fashion unless entrepreneurs and risk-takers return to generating jobs. Moreover, this will take place at the level of small or medium-sized entities. Given the manner in which such people have been treated heretofore and given that so many excellent people have been lost through the collapse in the economy on foot of the previous Government's maladministration, particularly in respect of construction, I believe now to be an opportune time to provide some element of hope to those who are about to take this risk again. They should do so in the knowledge that were they to relaunch a business and to take on people, there also would be something in place for them and their families. The sooner this is dealt with the better, because it is creating a huge amount of unnecessary uncertainty and ultimately it is holding back economic growth at a local level.

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