Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today, I request the Leader ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Peter Burke, to come to the House to discuss the cost of doing business in Ireland at present, particularly for small business owners. We have discussed this matter before and I know different grants and rebates have been of help. So much change happened at once with the increase in the cost of wages, additional sick leave and pension auto-enrolment. A plethora of different measures came in all at once. Prior to that, we had the cost of energy and all of the other associated costs that have been a big drain on a lot of small businesses. This is something worth having a debate in this House on. I suggest the Leader requests the Minister to come to the House so we can flesh out this matter and the concerns facing small businesses.