Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There will be contributions from four Fine Gael Deputies, so I only have approximately two minutes. I will ask a quick question and request a response from the Minister.

I will speak about the small business sector in Limerick and north Tipperary, constituencies which I represent. The Government has put in place measures to ensure businesses in those areas can come through the Covid-19 crisis but the biggest challenge that we face is to get businesses reopened. We must ensure that the liquidity crisis does not become a solvency crisis for those small businesses. That is the big challenge we face. It was also the big challenge during the most recent crisis and is the biggest one we now face. Has the Minister looked at doing sectoral plans? I believe that is the key. There must be proper preparation and examination of how various industries are impacted by social distancing and above all, to ensure that those businesses can be viable. Businesses want a sight line. They are not looking for things to be opened up overnight but want to see, over the coming months, measures put in place to ensure that a liquidity crisis does not become a solvency crisis for the SME sector. The Minister might just respond on that point.

See this speech in context