Sharon Keogan (Independent)

As a member of the industrial and commercial panel, I wish to speak about a total farce and affront to democracy and the business community that took place earlier this week. I am speaking about the national economic dialogue. I do not need to remind anyone that our country is currently trapped in a state of total policy inertia. It is not the inertia of a broken down car stuck on the road but that of a car rolling down a hill with the brakes off and no driver at the wheel. If there is any forum that captures this, it is the NED. The forum, which is purported to be a consultation with the public, has virtually no representation of the private sector. Looking at the 2024 participation list, only nine of the 101 organisations represented the private sector. While the dialogue for 2025 has more private sector representation, the organisations still only represent a fraction of our SMEs. Those present still overwhelmingly represented big businesses and multinationals. The vast majority of SMEs, which constitute 90% of our businesses, employ up to two thirds of our citizens and likely contribute as much as 30% of our tax revenue, are left out in the cold without so much as a say, invite or notification.

Who makes up the lion's share of voices at this forum? It is NGOs, paid for by taxpayer money; university academics, subsidised by taxpayer money; and Government and public sector bodies, paid for - you guessed it - by taxpayer money. We must put a total stop to the Government's practice of having the brass neck to claim it is engaging with the so-called public when in reality, it is consulting the cronies whom it pays and whose advice is always inevitably to do more of the same or worse. It is time for us to smash this policymakers' cartel if Ireland is to progress. I look forward to the Private Members' motion this evening.