Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to support these motions, which are important. It is important at this stage to give reassurance to the small business sector, in particular, which has been severely hit on three occasions in the past ten years. The first was the economic crash, the second was Brexit and coming along in tandem with that was Covid.

One of the issues that has emerged in recent days is that the Central Bank has opined that many businesses will not be able to open again. This is a prediction that seems to be running right through the stream of thoughts coming from the Central Bank and I want to warn against it because it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We should be careful to ensure that the people who assess the future viability of small or medium businesses should have particular business acumen, have shown they can run a business, know all about those businesses and be in the best position to restore those businesses to their former standing.

There is also a question of a number of businesses, or sole traders as they have been referred to by other speakers, who have been severely hit by virtue of their inability to qualify for supports in some areas. They have also been hit through the fact that they have been shut down for quite a long time and have to recover. Those businesses will be able to say that other businesses, including larger stores, have been able to operate throughout the pandemic. It is important to recognise those businesses and their particular ability to restore themselves on the basis that they have the wherewithal and the business acumen to be able to do what is necessary at this particular time. They will do so if given a chance.

Credit will be a big issue when the country gets back to work. It is hugely important that credit is made readily available to the business sector and that assurances are given to it to ensure that it has the confidence to restore itself to its former glory and continue.

I want to make a point about employees. They and their employers have been equally affected by Covid. I hope that with the ongoing supports, they will take the reassurance that Government has given them to date, which has been well-intentioned and targeted. I acknowledge also the announcements by the Minister for Social Protection in recent months. What has happened was right. The job the Government undertook was right and the supports that were put in place at the time were right and are still valid and required. I hope this continues and that the fruits of the efforts made by all involved will be seen in the near future.

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