John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

During this and the previous Dáil, the Government parties made promises to establish a good bank that would fund business but nothing has happened. We went down the road of providing money for the pillar banks and encouraging them to sort out the mortgage issue and to fund the SME sector but the message is coming back to every Deputy and Senator in their clinics that this is not happening. People involved in business say they cannot sort a deal with a bank. They cannot get bank officials to understand the new economy in which they are operating and they cannot get them to deal in a meaningful way with the legacy debt some of them have. They got into difficulty but the business proposal is still sound and the banks refuse to look at them.

Other major banks have left the country. I have not heard a Minster, in particular, the Minister for Finance, advising businesses through the media or any other forum on what to do about new banking arrangements. The Government has not encouraged AIB or Bank of Ireland to look at all the different businesses in difficulty because they need to change banks. KBC Bank advertised in last weekend's Sunday Independent how easy it is to get into a commercial arrangement with a new bank. That is a serious flaw in Government policy. It ignores the plight of small businesses. In America, they are at the centre of the economy. Young enterprises with two or there members are the equivalent of businesses here that have been in families for generations. They are in trouble but while the Government says they are at the centre of economic activity and they are central to the way the economy will rebound to build jobs, it refuses to support them.

Government Members pay lip service to them in the House. When one comes in here from the coalface, one realises it is a bubble of nonsense, spin and whitewash. The Government is not helping the SME sector. Families and individuals are providing sound employment in every parish and town but the State does not support them. We say we do but when we examine the fine print, there is an IDA or Enterprise Ireland client above and beyond the SME sector.

The Government has crucified the retail sector. It has done nothing. A local government Bill is going through the House which will double rates in some county towns. The Government parties have no plan and if they do not bring one forward with money behind it, they will fail all the risk takers who are trying to create wealth and jobs. On every high street, premises and commercial units are boarded up unable to be rented because there is no confidence in the country and it is not being restored among those who have discretionary wealth.

I appeal to the Government to do something for the SME sector. It should act on its words and protect those who are creating jobs and wealth.

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