Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and Minister of State will be aware that in the context of the many discussions we have had about Brexit, the credit guarantee scheme is a significant part of the model our SMEs need to allow them to compete on an international basis bearing in mind that we are largely an exporting economy. The figures for approvals I have here show a concentration in Dublin and the greater Dublin area of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. Naturally, some of that is down to the concentration of population, business and trade around the capital. In terms of trying to address the imbalance of regional development we are experiencing, we know that the country is lagging behind the city and waiting for the spillover effect from Dublin is a long wait for a lot of people and communities. Bearing in mind what ICTU, ISME, IBEC and the Irish Exporters Association are saying about the challenges Brexit poses for our businesses in exporting to the UK and trying to diversify into other markets to lessen the impact of Brexit, when can we expect the new scheme mentioned by the Minister of State to become available to businesses? What kind of timeframe are we talking about? Are we looking at greater levels of cover which businesses can avail of?

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