Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

The key area on which the forum will focus is the cost of regulation and trying to make things more efficient and easier for our small family businesses. I always point out that many of these businesses do not have a HR director or finance director; all their work is done around the kitchen table, trying to vindicate all the efforts they put towards employing two thirds of workers right across the country. That is why it is key that all the regulators, who make so many decisions, are involved. We need to look at the interoperability of those decisions with the decisions of other regulators and what costs that puts on businesses.

Critically, we have to achieve outputs. We must see how we can make changes, with the forum being a key accelerator in that regard to ensure we are doing things in a simpler manner. The Government is very much focused on that. As I said, we are at record levels of employment but there are challenges. I am more aware than most of the challenges in terms of the costs facing our family businesses. I have demonstrated what we are doing about this.

July will be a very important month for our competitive action plan. We will also establish our small business unit, and we have our cost of business advisory forum.

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