Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have just two more points. Ireland is just 1.1% of the population of the EU whereas Italy, for example, is nearly 14% and they are in a very bad way themselves. While I appreciate that many of our supports will be contingent on what the EU gives to Ireland, the SME sector is made up of some 250,000 companies, which is 1 million employees, this is substantially less than the figure for foreign direct investment and Enterprise Ireland with 500,000 between them, the average rates grant of up to €10,000 to be payable will be some €2,000 to €5,000. This is not going to do anything for those businesses. Is the Minister prepared to consider up to €30,000, as suggested by me a fortnight ago and echoed by my colleague Deputy Troy in recent days?

Does the Government intend to extend the current moratorium on redundancies or will the Government reintroduce what existed previously whereby firms that are faced with a situation of an employee who was unemployed for six weeks are entitled to apply for redundancy? Will the Government give up to 60% or more by way of a refund to those employers?

See this speech in context