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

In respect of microfinance, there will be a major event entitled Taking Care of Business in Dublin on 23 October. Other measures include the midlands think tank awareness and local enterprise offices which will be a real vehicle for pushing the 25,000 applications. The County Enterprise Boards (Dissolution) Bill is going through Seanad Éireann.

In respect of Deputy Calleary's question about the banks, they are very much domestic banks and the Government has ring-fenced €8 billion for the indigenous business population. It is advised that people make applications. Banks have given a significant commitment to the Government and are looking very seriously at where jobs are attached because the 200,000 companies employing 700,000 people are the backbone of the economy. The purpose of Government is business. Without doubt, the banks need viable companies. Where people are making a real-time application, where proper due diligence is done on the merits of a business and where they can separate, the banks are quite supportive of that application. The head of the Credit Review Office, John Trethowen, has recommended that the limits on the threshold for appeals by small businesses to the office be extended. The budget will be very much based on business and entrepreneurial activity in the economy but, equally, the support of companies who find themselves with a massive property portfolio and where the viability of the business is questionable. Both of the two banks that are sponsored by the State to a large degree are very much engaging with businesspeople and where people have been refused, there is the code of conduct for banking which has been revised. People can appeal a decision within 21 days. I expect that the recommendation to the Government by Mr. Trethowen that the new limits for appeals to the Credit Review Office be extended from €500,000 to €3 million will be approved. If approved, it will certainly open the facility for businesspeople to fall into a group from which they were previously excluded.

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