Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this important Bill. A change in company law has been under consideration since 2000. This Bill will allow for a company to be composed of one person. After many years of consultation and reports, the Bill is before the House for debate.

The Government has worked hard to create jobs and to encourage an atmosphere conducive to job creation. We need jobs to help economic recovery and also to provide work for the many young people leaving our colleges and to give hope to the many young people who have left our shores to look for work in other countries such as Australia, America and England.

Many rural communities in particular see the impact of emigration on their communities. I have seen at first hand the effects on small GAA clubs in rural areas which are unable to field a team because most of the senior hurlers have gone. I refer to the situation in south Tipperary whose senior hurling clubs were at one time winning the regional finals. Now those clubs have only one or two players on a subs bench. None of us can be proud of that situation which we must strive to change. This is one of the best countries in the world and we have much to be proud of. This Government wants Ireland to be the best country in the world in which to do business.

This Bill will encourage individuals to set up in business. It is one piece of the jigsaw and many other aspects of business must be considered. For example, broadband is not satisfactory in certain areas of the country. I am frustrated with announcements about the introduction of broadband and the lack of information about the broadband service. The Government has given a clear commitment that broadband will be available. However, more needs to be done to bring broadband to all parts of the country as a means of helping business enterprises.

Business people are experiencing difficulties in dealing with the banks. I remind the banks of their responsibilities. The taxpayers of Ireland has bailed them out by throwing significant funding into the banks which, as a result, have a responsibility to help the country and its people to create jobs. The banks need to be more amenable and more accessible. They should provide alternatives when they turn down loans. They should be helping people. In the past, bank managers did not work with as many rules and regulations as is the case now. I agree that rules and regulations are very necessary but, in my view, local knowledge needs to be part of how a bank decides on a loan application.

I refer to the case where a bank turned down a very well-presented plan. I asked experts to look at the plan. I know that the individual in this case would certainly repay the loan. The banks need to be more reasonable in their dealings with people. We are living in a changing world. The old manufacturing jobs are no longer here; other countries such as China have taken us on. However, the IT sector is a whole new world as is the food processing sector. The farming sector is going through a very difficult time but there is a very significant market for Irish-produced food. The recent horsemeat in burgers controversy proved that this country has good standards in food production. We must chase the market for Irish food. Small companies and businesses may have the ideas but bureaucracy is killing many enterprises. I suggest the Minister should look to the food industry to provide jobs in rural areas.

I will mention a business in my constituency which is providing IT training in the town of Cashel and which has sourced jobs for those people.

It is a very successful company whose approach we should model. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, launched the project earlier this year and it is working successfully. The retraining that is available should be nurtured into the future.

As the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, is in attendance, I must mention my constituency. There are a great number of unemployed people in south Tipperary. There is a fantastic facility in Cashel which was once occupied by Johnson & Johnson and now lies idle. I urge the Minister and Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to help south Tipperary in its endeavours to get a buyer for the factory. There is a potential to create 600 to 700 jobs in Cashel and it is a project the Government should go after. It is not an advance factory; it is purpose-built to accommodate enterprises in the medical devices sector. It is constructed to the highest standards.

I welcome the fact that the Bill is before the House. I compliment the Ministers on its introduction and hope it gets through speedily. I am delighted at the all-party support there appears to be for the Bill, although there are changes that need to be made. All Members want to see small companies develop and expand and to see a removal of bureaucracy and red tape. The legislation will impact on many companies. Given that only 1% of companies registered are public limited companies, the legislation will cover and support a broad range of businesses. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to speak.

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