Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chair. First, I think Deputy Fitzmaurice and the Independent Group of Deputies for putting forward this very worthy motion at this time. The Minister of State should remember one thing which is that all of these restaurants, cafés, pubs and hairdressers are small businesses. That is why the Government has them crushed. It is trying to crush them out of business. Why did the Minister of State not attend the protest yesterday? If he did not, he should have been there to listen to what is going on on the ground. The Government is out of touch with what is going on on the ground. These businesses are paying rent, rates, electricity, staff, oil, pensions and property tax. It is one tax on top of another. What does the cup of tea and cup of coffee cost and how many of them do they have to make before they have to turn a profit? How many cups of tea and coffee do they have to sell? The Government is totally and utterly out of touch and the problem is the two boys at the top; the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister, Deputy Chambers. They are Dublin 4 Ministers and have no idea what is going on in the real world. I ask the Minister of State present to come down to my constituency and I will take him around to the communities. They are not nasty people down in west Cork.

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