Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I understand the legislation, and I am an employer. For a political party to be the answer to everything, cause ruckuses and disturbances like that, it should have to pay the price, otherwise we would have bedlam in this House. If I bring in visitors, I am responsible for them, but Sinn Féin Members seem to have their own law. They decided after they lost the election to sulk, obstruct this House and not do any business here for months. Nothing was done, as you know, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, in the interests of so-called I do not know what.

The legislation is needed, but we must have some kind of impact analysis which we seldom have here on any legislation. Where legislation is being bedded in, give it a year. All legislation should have some kind of reassessment but very little has. We implement legislation, and it is left there on the books. Whether it is good, bad or indifferent, it is left to plough on and companies, small businesses especially, are trying to continue to trade under that legislation without any kind of impact analysis of the possible downsides to it. In fairness, the drafters of such legislation will not be able to see the all the different impacts it might have. There should be some kind of system where we can go back and amend it or assess it at least with a view to amending it after 12 months.

Today, the Seanad is dealing with a very reasonable Bill introduced by Malcolm Noonan to do something with vacant properties, many of them shops and small businesses that were forced to close, including in the Minister of State's county of Mayo. It would allow somebody, who wants to invest in that property to do it up as living accommodation, hopefully with a small shop or a mixture of both, to go into a pre-meeting with a planner. That needs to be taken so that we are not waiting three or four years for every obstacle in the book. That is good legislation brought in by Senator Noonan. The Government moved an amendment to delay it for a year. Why would it do that in the middle of a housing crisis? At a conservative estimate, there are probably 10,000 of these properties. We have a fierce housing crisis and we are supposed to be throwing the book at it with all hands on deck. However, the Government is going to delay the legislation before us for 12 months. Why? We need those supports.

Small businesses need those supports, and the employees need this legislation. I am not anti-employee. I would not have a business without my employees. I pay tribute to them. Most businesses, certainly small businesses, are the same and have good relationships. However, big businesses - those in the equine business and the big co-ops - have board meetings on yachts at sea, not yachts but cruise liners. They have lost touch with the ordinary people. They often have bogus employees and have powerful ways of dealing with any issues that arise for them.

Tá mé críochnaithe, but it galls me to sit here and listen to a lecture from Deputy Gould and his Sinn Féin colleagues, none of whom, I would say, ever employed anybody in their lives. However, they are good at threatening and bullying people all right.

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