Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Twomey and O'Toole, Senator Alex White, Senators Callely, Coughlan, Regan and Hanafin all expressed a wish to have a debate on the Lisbon treaty and matters pertaining to it before it is discussed in Brussels. Senator Twomey asked whether it was possible to have the Taoiseach present. I shall ask. I already spoke with the Taoiseach about the House having a debate on Northern Ireland. It is customary that the Taoiseach comes to the House when we discuss this matter because Northern Ireland is his special responsibility within Government. That has been the practice through the years and that request was made already. I will endeavour to have the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, present before his visit to Brussels to hear the views of Members of this House. However, this will depend on my finding time, given all the legislation I have been asked to process before Christmas.

The debate on finance will take place on Friday of next week. The banking issue and all related matters can be taken in that debate. Senator Alex White, leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad, said this morning that the public are looking for hope and inspiration. That is the most important factor at present. Confidence is a significant issue, no matter what level of business one practises. If there is no confidence to face the future, expansion and progress are stifled.

Senator O'Toole spoke about the particular difficulty of the present time and I said as much on the Order of Business a few weeks ago. In the 1970s and 1980s when we had a great downturn in the economy, small companies, family businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, were struggling. They then had the Government agency, the ICC or ACC to go to but that is not the case this time. A struggling company may have been in business for three years, five, ten or 20 years, employing 50, 100, 200 or 300 people. If any part of those operations is struggling now, the entrepreneur is not received in a friendly fashion by the banks. The Government has a serious decision to make. What will the Government do for struggling companies that have a track record in giving employment? That is the question that faces the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance. This House has a major role to play by highlighting issues and Senators can do this when they make their contributions on Friday next week. I shall ask the Minister for Finance for a response next week or at the earliest possible opportune time. Now may not be the right time.

Many thousands of jobs are at stake. Small and medium-sized businesses must receive some assistance, whatever transpires in the banking situation, no matter who refinances it and what the related internal issues are. These are all fine but 40% of jobs in Ireland are in small and medium-sized businesses. We all know this. These are all-Irish concerns that have been kept going for generations by families who should get a gold medal for having come through the past 30 to 50 years. I have often said this. We have an obligation and a duty with regard to a business that has a track record of giving employment to groups of 20 or more people over the past three to seven years . Senator Ross knows this better than anybody.