Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

It is a real pleasure to be in here with the Senators today and I thank them most sincerely. I could not agree more with everything said by all who have spoken and with the sentiments that have been expressed here today.

My background is that I grew up through an SME. My mam happens to be in the Gallery and she has a very small business in Slane in County Meath. I grew up packing shelves, sweeping floors and doing all of the graft that has to be done. I completely sympathise and understand the challenges and difficulties in succeeding. To continue in business is a real success. Not everybody has this opportunity. Some people have to diversify or reimagine how they do their business. Managing to survive and perhaps have a second generation of the family come on and grow up in the business - sometimes they do not have an option other than staying in the business because it is all they know - is a large accolade for the people who take it on. As has been said today, it is not as it is for those who walk into work at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. People who own their own business, as has been quite rightly said, wake up in the morning thinking about it and go to bed at night thinking about it. There is no such thing as walking away for 20 days' holidays or seven days' holidays. There is nobody to ring if somebody feels sick. They have to do all of this themselves. I have great admiration for anybody who takes it on.

In my role in the Department of enterprise I had the good fortune on Sunday of spending some time in Senator Keogan's brother's restaurant and bar, which is the Imperial Bar in Cavan town. It was father's day and we were coming back from the Cavan game in Enniskillen. We went into the Imperial Bar on the way home. It is an example of being the heart of a town, in this case Cavan town. Many businesses on our main streets are dependent on other anchor businesses. Perhaps they are not considered small but without the likes of that business in the heart of Cavan town other businesses would not flourish. They bring football to the town, whether it is day or night. One thing I can say about Donal Keogan is that he is a wonderful man reimagining his business. It is one of those places that is full every day of the week. It is heartening to go in and see it. I know exactly what it takes.

I assure Senators that while I am in the Department I will do everything possible to take out the burdensome paperwork, drudgery and repetitiveness that can be there. I am very lucky in the work I have on trade promotion, as Senator O'Loughlin has said, as it is a great opportunity for me to represent Ireland globally and I will do so in any way I can. I am always struck by the work done by Enterprise Ireland. I have to say until I was in the Department I did not realise we had 42 Enterprise Ireland offices throughout the world. They are out there kicking down doors for Irish businesses and services. The connections and collaborations they create with businesses abroad are incredible.