Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

For the past nine months, the world has witnessed the horror of the war inflicted by Russia on Ukraine. Apart from the loss of life and suffering, we have seen the adverse effect on economies and the hardship caused to families by cost-of-living increases. As we know, small and medium enterprises are the backbone of our economy and of particular importance in our smaller towns, villages and rural counties. Many of these enterprises, be they involved in retail, manufacturing, processing or distribution, are being crippled by increased energy costs. Substantial Government support has been made available and is appreciated by business. The Government will need to continue to ensure adequate and additional support will be made available, if needed, to assist small and medium enterprises, which are vital to employment, to remain viable in these turbulent economic times.

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