Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Harkin. I thank the Minister of State and everyone else who spoke on the motion. I thank the Minister of State for his engagement on this. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and I acknowledge that Deputy Nash of the Labour Party has an amendment in. For people who go into business in their local areas, there seems to be a disconnect from what I would call the people in Departments who never took a risk in their lives, never had to see the letter from the bank manager, never had to make sure that Revenue was being paid and never had to make sure they had to meet deadlines. There seemed to be a disconnect, talking to the people yesterday. A person who owns a business does not come to Dublin to protest, that is sure, unless there is something very wrong, because they do not have the time and they are small outfits. It is the last thing these people would do and, as Deputy Harkin said, to bring their staff with them as support. This is not just something that we are rocking up with to try to bring up again. We know because we see it on the ground. Every local paper is showing it every day. Businesses are closing, one here and one there. People do not just close businesses for the fun of it. Through blood, sweat and tears, they try to build a business. They will work whatever hours they can. I ask the Minister of State to re-consider this. I hear the Tánaiste has now said this may have to be revisited. I ask the Government to make sure that this sector is protected. We have put proposals forward and obviously the Government is putting an amendment forward.

At the end of the day, I thank everyone who spoke on the motion.

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