Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last night I attended a meeting in Athlone organised by employers in order to learn what facilities were available and what efforts were being made by the Government to help create employment. I was very impressed by these efforts and the number of programmes the State supports, such as Springboard and JobBridge, to help people find work. The main concern people have is uncertainty. We should do everything we can to avoid uncertainty for the person who is thinking of investing. In the middle of all this, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, stated that her sick pay scheme, as referred to by Senator Healy Eames, may not apply to employers who employ fewer than 100 people. That was great news for the SME sector until, a week later, the Department stated that was not what the Minister meant. This is uncertainty and it causes great concern for all employers. If we are going to switch to a sick-pay scheme whereby the employer must pay the first 28 days for anybody who is sick, it will be an enormous imposition and one that had not been anticipated. Potential employers who are thinking of investing in employment will hear there is uncertainty in this regard. I accept the suggestion of Senators Healy Eames and O'Brien, namely, to call on the Minister to make the situation very clear. A debate in this House would be the right thing to have in this regard.

It was announced yesterday by Eric Pickles, a British Government Minister, that in order to encourage the building of conservatories outside homes, small conservatories will not need planning permission. The Minister appears to be trying to remove some of the municipal red tape that has been around for a long time. There are steps we can take to encourage smaller builders back to work and we should try to make it easier for them to do so, on that basis. This example is merely one step; many more of a similar kind can be taken.