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

Throughout this country we are very fortunate to have a great presence of small and medium enterprises in villages, towns and rural parishes. I welcome the very significant contribution those enterprises, whether it be in hospitality, retail or manufacturing, make to employment, the economy and the overall well-being of areas such as counties Cavan and Monaghan. Typically, owners of such enterprises work extremely diligently and hard, and with great commitment to keep the businesses going and to retain and where possible create new jobs. Businesses say to me very clearly that they need help now to offset additional costs that have arisen in recent years and that they will not be in a position to keep their doors open if costs are not reduced without delay. The increased cost of business grant was announced in budget 2024, which is welcome,but it needs to be rolled out at a very early date, as envisaged. I hope it will be rolled out seamlessly and that it will be business- and customer-friendly.

As a society, we cannot countenance the loss of such businesses that in many instances are the lifeblood of and central to our local communities.

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