Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not doubt the Minister that understands this and the potential impact a no-deal or hard Brexit could have on many companies, more than anybody else, coming from a Border constituency. Anything that could assist companies, even in making applications to Enterprise Ireland and so on, should be made available to them. Banks still lack the capacity to address and understand business plans in some areas, as they are still in recovery mode. There is a potential lack of professional expertise available to companies to assist them. Therefore, every effort should be made, wherever there is red tape, bureaucracy, or a shortage of skilled personnel, to address these issues to assist companies in making a case or an application. In the context of state aid rules, up to €200,000 was made available to businesses to deal with the effects of the financial crisis. That figure was increased during the crisis, but it has subsequently come back down. Will the Minister make a formal application to the Commissioner for Competition in the European Commission on state aid rules in advance of Brexit?

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