Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I am seeking a debate on the integrity of our high streets and small businesses in the community. This is a serious problem in many towns and cities around the country. According to a recent report, there are 90 vacant retail premises in Galway city. That may not sound like much to people in Dublin, but it has a huge impact in Galway. There is a danger that Galway and other cities are becoming less attractive places in which to locate as a result of the number of vacant premises. Many businesses are close to being viable but must close due to small cash flow problems. In the current financial crisis they cannot obtain finance from banks. Rather than throwing hundreds of millions of euro at IDA investments, we should examine the integrity of small businesses, which are the economic backbone of our society. We do not have enough debates on small businesses in this Chamber. Since becoming a Member of the House I do not think we have had specific debates on that particular subject. I hope, therefore, the Deputy Leader will allow us to have such a debate.