Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It has long been mooted that Brexit will cause pressure and strain on our businesses, in particular our small and medium enterprises. Throughout the country we have seen devastation rippling through our businesses as they have been forced to close to assist our country in our time of need. Some reopened but closed again last night. The effects of these closures and the loss of business will be felt for some time to come and we need to ensure we support business during this very difficult time. Brexit will throw another spanner in the works for our businesses as we move towards the end of the year. The fact that there is such uncertainty around how exactly the UK will leave the EU is causing a huge amount of angst throughout the business sector. Will there be restrictions on travel? Will there be restrictions on the movement of goods? These are all very important questions on which we need answers.

The UK Government is leaving us all in the lurch by claiming it is leaving on 1 January, deal or no deal. It sounds more like the game show than political leadership. This is not acceptable and we need to put on the pressure to ensure we have a deal that does not hamper peace on this island in any way, shape or form. However, aside from what I have mentioned already, there is plenty the Government can do regardless of what Brexit will bring. While I accept a number of grant schemes are available for companies to become Brexit ready, we have to ensure our businesses have recovered from Covid before they hit the Brexit issue.

Only last week, I met the Loop Head tourism group. It has called for the same proposals that we have been demanding for some time now. We must reduce the VAT rate for the hospitality sector. One business owner was able to tell me that when he last availed of the lower VAT rate he was able to install and extend the kitchen in his business, which then directly led to the hiring of three additional staff from the local community. These small measures cannot be underestimated, especially in rural areas where employment opportunities are thin.

I have also been asked to raise the plight of the travel agents. This is yet another industry that has been let down by the Government, with little or no supports. The rollback of the temporary wage subsidy scheme to the new employment wage subsidy scheme has been seen as regressive by this sector in particular. I have no doubt that Brexit will have a massive impact on this industry.

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