Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)
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I support this motion. My colleague, Senator Nelson Murray, has been an advocate of SMEs and rural business, as have I, since we entered the Chamber in February. I was a third-generation retailer in Roscommon. I know the effort and industry our small businesses put into everything they do. It is not just about the bottom line. Rather, it is about being part of the community. It is part of their drive. Small businesses embrace the essence of what being Irish means and what community and rural life are all about.

I welcome a lot of the supports put in place for businesses in recent times. The energy supports were timely and necessary for rural businesses. I remember getting the first bill in after the energy prices went up and seeing that it was a multiple of what previous bills had been. Always and ever, it was never about what you were talking home at the end of the week, rather about covering the staff and being able to pay suppliers at the end of the week, as opposed to anything else. Small businesses owners still got up on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to put in 12- or 14-hour days. In most cases, it was more hours than that. Having the Government back small businesses with those supports was timely.

I had a meeting with a lady last Friday who is looking to set up a new business in north-west Roscommon. She explained to me that she had an idea for which she knew there was demand and wanted to know how she could go about staring this business. First and foremost, I was able to point her in the direction of the Roscommon local enterprise office. I explained to her that if she is seeking finance or anything like that, it will help her to put together a business plan to take to her bank. It will also be in a position to help to set her business up online. There are supports for all that. We need to be proud of the fact those supports are there. She also gave me a few jobs which I must go off and do to see if I can get some supports for her. First, she needs premises. Second, if she gets set up, she needs to see whether there is public access to opportunity for her as well. She will meet a demand that is not currently being served.

This brings me back to another conversation I had with a gentleman upstairs earlier. He is from north Longford. He is not a Senator; just to put that on the record. He said the problem we have in rural Ireland is that businesses are closing and leaving our communities because you could not pay someone to provide those services which have been provided for so long in these rural communities. We need to come up with mechanisms to support them. That is why I welcome the enterprise hub that has been created on the Department’s website. Having a space where I can go to try to find the potential different supports I am looking for at a given time is great. It is great to have them all in one spot. I am surprised no one came up with that idea before this term. It is good to see that we are listening to the feedback from businesses and actually getting out there to support them.

Since I have joined the Seanad, I have been lucky enough to travel around County Roscommon to see some of the new businesses and opportunities open and develop. I was in Ballaghaderreen recently where a new training centre has been set up to supply trainees to the engineering sector. There are multiple businesses in the locality that will avail of this centre. These are all important interventions.

Approximately two weeks ago, I spoke in this Chamber about an apprenticeship centre in Roscommon. I was told that the demand was not there for what I was looking for at that particular time. We have spoken about the warmer homes scheme and future need. We do not even know the jobs that have been created yet. We need to provide the outlet for these apprenticeships and for the roles our policies will create in two or three years’ time. We need to be a lot more proactive in this space in trying to encourage those roles.

I will attend the enterprise hub in Castlerea this Friday for the official opening of a new bespoke ice cream business which has been up and running for the past three months. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, is coming down to cut the ribbon. For anyone wanting some ice cream, they may make sure they get their speech in early.

During the Order of Business this morning, I also spoke about a microbrewery in Ballinlough whose owner has called time on his business after 12 years in existence. This microbrewery was the only one in the country using local yeast to make its craft beer. He is closing because our licensing laws prevent him from tapping into the tourist potential of his brewery in Ballinlough in west Roscommon. He is in a situation where he cannot sell his beer in the petrol situation right beside his brewery, but it can sell bottles of wine from Argentina or Chile for €7.99. He cannot sell his beer to a visitor without it prohibitively costing him a lot for a licence. We need to protect and look at supporting these rural businesses. We must be creative with some of these ideas. The potential is out there to help them to thrive an awful lot more.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I rise today in support of the motion and in defence of our small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the lifeblood of our communities. The SME test, as outlined in the programme for Government, is a tool meant to protect these businesses from the unintended consequences of legislation. Tools are only as good as the hands that wield them, however. Right now, I fear we are not wielding this one with the care and precision it demands. Let us be honest; SMEs are not just economic units. They are family-run shops, local trades, start-ups with dreams and cornerstone employers in towns and villages throughout Ireland. They are the people who support the local GAA teams, who know their customers by name and who stay open late because someone needs help. They are the heartbeat of Irish society. Yet, when we legislate, we often forget them. We forget that they do not have compliance departments or legal advisers. We forget that every new form, regulation and requirement is time away from serving customers, growing their businesses and creating jobs.A 2018 study showed that regulatory compliance disproportionately affected smaller firms. That is not just a statistic; it is a warning we must heed. When we overburden SMEs, we put at risk not just their survival but the resilience of our entire economy. The problem is not just the regulations themselves but the process. SMEs are often excluded from the conversation and consultations are dominated by large corporations with lobbying power and legal teams. Meanwhile, the butcher in Ballinasloe or the florist in Finglas is left out in the cold. I spoke earlier today, during the Order of Business, using the example of the national economic dialogue, where only a small number of organisations represent our private sector and of those, it is disproportionately larger corporations that are represented.

Let me use another, more in-depth example. Chambers Ireland represents a network of more than 40 chambers of commerce across the nation, which, in turn, represent more than 8,000 businesses. However, the Central Statistics Office, CSO, has estimated that as of 2022, there were up to 390,000 enterprises in the country. This strongly indicates that well under 1% of enterprises are represented by chambers of commerce. Of those represented in their local chamber, there will frequently be a disproportionate number of the bigger, wealthier and well-established businesses. While not necessarily a bad thing, this means they are hardly likely to rock the boat, either. That is why Senator Aubrey McCarthy and I proposed this amendment, to ensure that the SME test is not just applied but applied with the full scrutiny and insight of the Seanad. This House, with its diverse backgrounds and expertise, is uniquely positioned to champion the voice of the small business owner.

We must also address the uncertainty that new regulations bring. When business owners do not know what is coming, they hesitate, delay hiring and postpone investment. That hesitation stifles innovation, growth and opportunity. We need clarity, consistency and confidence. We need to ensure that regulations are scalable, that they reflect the realities of the different sectors and that they come with clear guidance and support. The one-size-fits-all approach must end. A policy that works for a multinational tech firm will not work for a rural mechanic. We must tailor our regulations for the diverse tapestry of Irish enterprise. The recent directive from the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, to 19 agencies to reduce red tape is a step in the right direction, but we must go further. We must embed the SME test into every stage of the legislative process, not as an afterthought but as a core principle. We must empower the Seanad to play its full role in this. When we involve this House, we bring in the voices of entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders and advocates. We bring in the lived experience of those who know what it means to run a business in Ireland today, and I do too, as do many of our colleagues around this Chamber.

This is not just about economics. It is about fairness and respect and about ensuring that the people who take risks, create jobs and build communities are not punished by the very system that should support them. There is no mention in this motion of social enterprises, which employ about 83,000 people in this country. They are a very important part of our enterprise sector. Our colleague from Sinn Féin spoke earlier about investment in research and development. Many companies are well established. I call them "grantepreneurs". Many companies in this country are very good at getting grants. I call those companies "grantepreneurs" because they have been getting grants for years and then they hit a stumbling block and do not know how to get over it. Grants are given to create growth and that is what they should be used for. Those at the bottom cannot get those grants and very often, the ones at the top cream off those grants and there is no help for the lads at the bottom to get them. Many grantepreneurs in this country using that system to levy their businesses and we should be looking after smaller businesses at this time.

Let us not allow the SME test to become another well-meaning policy that gathers dust. Let us make it a living, breathing commitment to our small businesses. Let us legislate with empathy, insight and courage and give SMEs the voice and the future they deserve.

Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming here today and wish her the best of luck in her new role. I have no doubt that she will do more than well. I am also delighted to see her mum here. She is keeping a close eye, I am sure, full of pride sitting up behind there.

I commend my colleague Senator Ollie Crowe on bringing forward this timely motion. I support the vast majority of what has been said about the supports and the lack of supports for SMEs. I want to focus on sole traders. Sole traders are the backbone of many businesses, such as a local shop that depends on the sole trader to deliver its specialised goods. During Covid, many healthcare professionals such as counsellors and psychologists got no supports. Time on time, budget after budget, year on year, they do not get any change as each budget goes by. The paltry tax allowance they have does not in any way recognise what they contribute to society. The Government really needs to look at this area, because the sole trader in this country plays a key role in many of those small and medium enterprises to ensure they keep going in business. We need to go back to the drawing board in relation to those sole traders. The country is crying out for many different services within the healthcare setting. As we know, many schools are crying out for more psychologists and psychology reports but we are not incentivising people to take up specialty roles on a private basis. They are not taking those roles and are more inclined to go into the private sector or some kind of a business setting. They are a critical part of our society. We need to incentivise sole traders. We need to ensure we have our psychologists and counsellors and all those people out there who are working as specialists. Someone mentioned mechanics. For those who are working on their own, in their own specialised, qualified area, we need to ensure that they are protected because at the moment they are not and many of them are struggling. Many are questioning why they have gone down a certain road, putting so much time and effort into their business but being left behind while others are getting incentives, budget after budget. I ask the Minister of State to put an emphasis on the area of sole traders because they are in special need.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming here today. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic. I want to speak on my amendment No. 2, which has been seconded by Senators Keogan and McCarthy. With looming threats of tariffs to our economy, we need economic resilience. Now would be an opportune time for the Government to invest more in local and indigenous businesses. We need to address some of the blockages that are preventing indigenous businesses from starting up or expanding. SMEs are faced with layers of red tape, bureaucracy, prohibitive costs and delays in water, ESB and sewerage services to economic development land. We need to simplify and reduce these blockages and, if possible, remove them completely. A good way of doing this would be to create a funding stream that local authorities could apply for, to develop suitable lands that could give local businesses the space they need to develop and grow. We should be empowering local authorities through funding schemes to provide fully serviced, ready-to-go sites and to develop enterprise lands for local businesses. We need to collectively look at a way to help businesses, especially SMEs, to find a way through some of these blockages.

That is why I am speaking on this motion today.Our amendment to the motion has not been mentioned. The Minister of State is from a small business family. I am from a small business family, as are most of the speakers here today. It is important we try to take out the blocks that are stopping businesses developing and growing.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in and congratulate her on her new role. I think it is her first time to the Seanad in that role. It will probably not be any busier a role than when she was Chair of an Oireachtas committee. It was a pretty hectic committee and she managed it very well, so I am sure she will manage this role very well.

The cost-of-doing-business crisis is having a severe effect on small businesses across the city, particularly small independent coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. They have been hit with higher energy costs, higher food costs, higher labour costs and higher rent. As if all of this was not enough, the council comes around and picks their pockets with extortionate rates in exchange for little in terms of services. Small businesses urgently need support if we want them to stay afloat and contribute to our communities.

Likewise, workers need support given the out of control cost-of-living crisis. The average wage is not enough to comfortably live in Dublin and there is a huge level of job insecurity in the service sector in this city. That is a very important point to consider when it comes to supporting small businesses. We need an approach that does not pit businesses against workers but, rather, enables businesses and workers to work together, side by side. Small businesses are facing an inhospitable environment and too often workers are being asked to pay the price. Action needs to be taken to ensure businesses are not unfairly squeezed and ordinary people are not caught up in the crunch.

The reality is businesses feel like they are being robbed just to try to comply with the regulations from State agencies and planning regulations. For instance, today is a beautiful day outside. The public seating areas are all jammed, yet outdoor seating is severely limited in Dublin. When one goes through any of its little towns or villages or through the city centre, one can see there are real limitations on the number of seating opportunities in Dublin. This is primarily because of the arbitrary fees and obstacles imposed on businesses by Dublin City Council. To place a table and seats on the footpath outside a coffee shop or restaurant, the biggest cost is renting the space from the council, with fees of thousands of euro and a very drawn-out planning application process that includes putting up a site notice and placing a notice in the newspaper, all for a few seats outside. It does not make any sense. We should bear in mind that outdoor seating is next to useless for half the year, given we are living in Ireland and it rains for half the year. However, traders, businesses, restaurants and coffee shops must pay for the full year. There needs to be more flexibility in terms of how businesses can avail of outdoor seating.

Coffee shops simply cannot afford to have outdoor seating or do not want to deal with the hassle, so they scrap the plans. One needs not go further than Rathmines to see loads of places that are empty which could have lovely public seating. They were there during Covid, but when the pandemic was over, the council got rid of the free access to these places and it is just too expensive now. These seating areas could add a nice buzz to the local community, and it is the city’s loss. Ernesto's cafe in Rathmines has a few tables for people to drink coffee and have a rest. It is a lovely shop and is very involved in the local community. It does so many positive community initiatives. However, Ernesto's is being robbed and crushed by these extortionate charges. Ernesto's had to pay €4,500 for space to place tiny little tables that you get in Ikea. The tables are hardly bigger than these seats here. Ernesto's has three or four of those and had to pay €4,500 a year, just for a few tables. For most of the year the cafe cannot use them, given the weather. That means it is paying €4,500 for six months. That is extortionate. That is picking small businesses’ pockets. Ernesto's is a small family business that contributes a great deal to the community and yet it seems like there is an attempt to milk every cent out of these local traders, irrespective of the effect it may have on the business or its customers. Reducing and waiving these fees partially is not just going to support businesses, it will support the city and the community. The council and the State agencies are not supporting local businesses, and they need to do so. That is the reality.

Another example is the long-running issue for businesses on Mount Street, which is very close to here. There are barriers still up. Honestly, it looks like a ghetto. These Mount Street businesses have been carrying on. There were tents outside their premises for 18 months. The barriers are still there, and they are trying to run a business. It is almost impossible. Local businesses like Mamma Mia have seen their turnover fall off a cliff but Dublin City Council still expects them to pay rates. They are still being charged. Ultimately, the council waived the fees for the outdoor seating because there was no point in them having outdoor seating. Nobody was going to sit at them beside a tent and a fire. It is very unfair on businesses. The Mount Street residents have been abandoned by the Government. Businesses have been abandoned by the Government and this problem is not of the businesses’ making. They should not have to pay the price. There needs to be some flexibility to allow small businesses such as coffee shops, pizza places and fruit and vegetable shops to be able to function. That is not the case. The State's policy has failed and the small businesses seem to be left to pick up the pieces..

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. I am delighted to have the opportunity to formally congratulate her on her position. I do not know how she does all that she does in being an excellent public representative for the people of Cavan-Monaghan - constituency politics is demanding in itself - while also being able to take on a very challenging portfolio with such gusto and enthusiasm. She has totally embraced the three really important areas within her Department. I will mention each of those areas before we move on to the context of the motion.

Regarding the geopolitical situation in which we now find ourselves, with the emergence of US tariffs and possibly more in respect of pharma, etc., the whole area of trade promotion is so much more important than it ever was before in terms attracting new business and new markets. We know we have great products to sell here. The role of the Minister of State as an ambassador for Ireland’s excellent products is really important. I wish her well on that.

Artificial intelligence has been around for a long time but it has only been taken really seriously over the past few years. At the fourth summit of the Council of Europe - there have been only four summits in 75 years - it was agreed that artificial intelligence was one of the areas we needed to look at from an ethical point of view and with regard to human rights. While artificial intelligence can bring so much good and do so much more, we must have concerns about it being abused for disinformation, etc. The Council of Europe produced a convention protecting human rights in the context of artificial intelligence and 12 countries have signed up to that convention. It would be great to see Ireland being the next one to do so. It is a very interesting and exciting area. One must have an open mind, as I know Minister of State has, and look at it through a number of different lenses. The Minister of State is a creative soul. We will see lots of adventures relating to all of that.

With regard to digital transformation, bringing everybody along with us is so important, in terms of both the consumer, the person on the street, and those in business. We absolutely need change but we cannot forget those who could be left behind by digital transformation. For example, I was in a post office yesterday in Rathangan, County Kildare, speaking to the postmaster and Connie, who works there. During Covid, older people had to make an appointment by email. The post offices are doing a lot of that work for older people and it needs to be recognised. Post offices can be a hub for digital transformation for some of the individuals who do not feel comfortable and may not have a family member to do this work for them.It would be great to have a formal agreement with them.

In terms of the motion at hand, we know that small and medium enterprises represent more than 99% of our active enterprises and provide 70% of all the employment opportunities in the private sector. This is significant but, of course, they are not just business entities. In many ways they provide the heart and soul of communities, they are job creators, they are innovators, and they are neighbours of local development. They are the people who provide local sponsorship for all the local community clubs. They are the people who provide employment and who pay rates to all of our local authorities. They contribute billions of euro to our national economy. They provide many services that may not be written into their job spec or that they would have thought of.

It is very important that we do everything we can to help and support these businesses. This is why it is very good news that the dedicated small business unit opened last month. I thank the Minister of State for this because I know it is something she was very clear about in the programme for Government. It is something Fianna Fáil felt strongly about and she has taken up the mantle on this. The unit will focus on rigorously applying and implementing the SME test. This is very important because everything needs to be looked at through this lens.

We need a simplification of the information going from the Department to support our small local businesses. We need simplification of the access to grants also. From speaking to local businesses, and I know we all do so in the areas we represent, we know that sometimes they may receive notification only seven or 14 days before an application is due. We know this means time is taken away from doing work at the shop counter and front-facing work and that somebody else must be employed to do it. People have to take valuable time to attend chamber of commerce meetings or fill out forms. As legislators we need to be able to ensure we are not onerous in taking up that time.

There is no doubt SMEs are being stretched to their very limit in terms of the cost of doing business, the administrative burden and the regulatory overload. The unit should help but the cost of business advisory forum is also very important. It would be great to have updates in the House on the efficient running of both of these elements. We want to see real change. We want to see fewer forms. We want to make a difference, in terms of cutting the cost of business and the simplification of information and grants. Our business are struggling to survive. We want them to thrive. They make up who we are and who we represent. I thank the Minister of State for her time; I really appreciate it. I look forward to working with her on this.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Open one in Taiwan, please.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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There is also IDA Ireland. We often feel that rural constituencies are forgotten compared with the more urban centres, and this can be true, but in my role I will certainly do everything I can to ensure we support and provide access and, more importantly, that we listen, as I am doing here today, to what the concerns are.

I can tell Senators quite honestly that in the few short months since I have gone into the Department the Minister, Deputy Burke, has been relentless. I do not just say this; people can look at his diary. He has been relentless in holding forums with business people, with RGDATA and the Family Business Network. Yes, the big businesses are there too but the smaller ones definitely have a voice at those tables. At any forum I sit at, and we have spoken about the cost of doing business forum, I will ensure, and the Minister has agreed to do this, that smaller enterprises and their representatives are at all of the tables.

Senator O'Loughlin spoke about digitalisation and AI. For me, the real opportunity for businesses is to take out the mundane repetitive piece to allow them to see what they can do or how they can give themselves more time to reflect, imagine and promote their businesses. We all know, as people who are part of these businesses or who are a cog in a very big wheel, time is so precious. When people are running their own business they have to be HR, the person who creates the timetable and the person who places the order for the goods to come in, and they have to be there to make sure returns are done. I hope, and it is my intention, the AI tools we can support businesses to get will engage-----

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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A vote has been called in the Dáil so we must suspend the House.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I will finish this point, if Senator O'Loughlin stops me in time.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I have received several messages.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My intention is to ensure the AI tools and digitalisation supports we will provide through the Department of enterprise will support businesses and give them the backup they need. I would argue that businesses always go through uncertain times. We are going through a different uncertainty now.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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We must suspend the House. Does the Minister want to return to the debate?

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, absolutely. That is no problem.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I propose that we suspend the sitting for the duration of the Dáil vote.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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We will resume.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank everybody for their patience and for waiting to hear the response. We are all of the same view that everything has to be done. The Minister, Deputy Burke, has been incredibly proactive in putting together teams of people around the table with the officials – I am ably assisted here today by some of the officials – to hear what the burdens are and how we can simplify them. My role around digitalisation and AI involves working with our local enterprise offices, LEOs, Enterprise Ireland and CeADAR. This last organisation is another Government agency to help businesses interested in developing AI, that is, not just businesses seeking to use the technology but actual AI businesses too.

Perhaps the greatest job we have to do and the biggest hurdle we have to jump is demonstrating to businesses that are not digital or technical businesses how digitalisation can apply to them and help them. I will give the House an example. Kerry County Council, working with Failte Ireland, the LEO and CeADAR – I can come back at any time to give further information on this organisation – held a round-table training day with individual hotels in the hospitality sector. These were not part of chains but independent, small, family-run hotels. They spent time talking to those hotels and teasing out the mundane parts of their job that could be taken away and done by an AI tool or digitalisation to allow them the time and the space to be more creative and help their businesses to grow and scale. This is what we are about and this is my particular area of responsibility in the Department.

One of the amendments is concerned with the funding of enterprise parks and centres. Only yesterday, officials from Cavan County Council and Monaghan County Council were working together on the basis of a shared island report to do exactly this. They were trying to identify lands and spaces to see how they can be developed with services put in place to ensure the small and medium-sized businesses referred to, which may have come from garden sheds, small garages and very small beginnings, can be helped by the local authorities to do exactly what this proposed amendment aims to do, namely, grow and scale. The smart enterprise fund is there to do exactly that. I do not disagree, therefore, with anything that anybody is saying today. I want the Senators to know and be fully aware that I will certainly do anything I can to help on my watch in this Department because I know how it feels. If you have lived this experience, you know exactly how the people around the table are feeling and what they are talking about.

I must return to some of the formalities, though, if the Senators can bear with me while I do it. I am pleased to be here today to respond on this very important motion. I thank the Senators for raising it and for collating the details in it because this is exactly what we are about in the Government. I acknowledge the constructive and forward-looking nature of the motion. It reflects a shared understanding across this House of the need to foster a more competitive, resilient and innovation-friendly business environment, especially in the face of heightened international uncertainty. I take this opportunity to also acknowledge the important work done by the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, who, on foot of what has happened geopolitically, has established the trade forum and invited me to sit on it. He has ensured all Departments, including all the Secretaries General and officials who have a role to play in this area, are around the table. Indeed, they have been around the table since these announcements were made.

This motion recognises the centrality of SMEs in our economy, the importance of reducing costs and bureaucracy and the need for a consistent and proportionate regulatory environment, which Senator Keogan spoke about. This is what we really want. It is about ensuring small and medium-sized businesses are not put sitting alongside our corporate and more global companies and expecting the same regulation for them. These are the better regulation principles that the Government fully endorses and is actively working to embed across the system.

On this occasion, I cannot accept the amendments from the Senators, but I assure them it is for the very good reason, as I have outlined, that we are already doing all this. The SME test is a policy tool designed to invite officials tasked with policymaking to consider less stringent compliance requirements for smaller companies, where appropriate and proportionate. I know I am reflecting the views raised here today. The SME test is already being systematically applied to relevant legislation. In 2024 alone, 26 SME tests were conducted in eight Departments, and ten of these were undertaken by the Department of enterprise, tourism and employment. Additionally, offices and agencies of the Department are now being instructed by the Minister, Deputy Burke, to apply the SME test when developing new initiatives and offerings. I assure the Senators this stress test is there, is being done and will continue to be done very stringently.

Fundamentally, the SME test drives home and embeds the "think small first" principle. Let us just think of the wording used here in respect of "think small first". It is so appropriate for what we are trying to do. At the earliest opportunity across the policymaking system, the impacts that new policy, legislation or regulation may have on SMEs can be considered and steps taken to mitigate these impacts where appropriate. I think this responds to what all the Senators across the House said today.

Regional development is already a key element of the Government's enterprise policy. As a Border TD from Cavan-Monaghan who is very familiar with the particular characteristics of the Border region, I am acutely aware of how important regional development is. The availability of property and infrastructure solutions can be a key factor in investment decisions and a robust property and infrastructure ecosystem can be a key differentiator in winning FDI projects. The IDA regional property programme ensures the supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations as required by current and prospective clients of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs. I assure the Senators that I get regular updates from all our State agencies to ensure we are moving at pace to ensure we are supporting businesses.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I am sorry but there is another vote in the Dáil.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Acting Chairperson to suspend the House.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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I will suspend the House and ask the Minister of State to come back to speak for a further minute and 44 seconds.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, indeed.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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We will allow the lady a bit more than that now.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Okay. I will be back. I thank the Acting Chairperson for her forbearance.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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I ask the Deputy Leader to move the suspension of the House until after the vote in the Dáil.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I move that the House stand suspended until the vote is over.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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We will resume. The Minister of State has one minute and 47 seconds.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I wonder how far I will get. I thank everybody for their patience because this is a most important debate. I thank everyone for their forbearance and for waiting to hear my concluding remarks. I have lots of say but I cannot say it all in a minute and a half, so I will conclude on a more human level in reassuring the House about any of the ideas that have been suggested. My officials are here and are cognisant of them. They have taken note of them. I assure the Senators that with the amendments we are addressing the issue of funding enterprise spaces and sites for our local authorities. I will be consistent in that message and in trying to support the business around the digital piece, AI and the servicing of our enterprise spaces, which we need so badly in rural counties. Senator Scahill spoke about County Roscommon. Like me, he is from a rural constituency, and I have no doubt he deals with those small and medium businesses that are developing from homes and in small spaces and want the opportunity to scale up to have the services and facilities put in place where they can bring prospective buyers and customers. That is our role as a Department, which feeds down into our local enterprise offices, LEOs, and into our local authorities. I will do everything possible and am happy to meet Senators at any time they want further information around some of State agencies, in particular CeADAR. It is a fascinating organisation and State body. It is the European digital hub and it is there to assist businesses. I spoke earlier about what Kerry County Council is doing with Fáilte Ireland. On those collaborations we can create, I am more than happy to work with Senators.

I thank them all for their patience, suggestions and ideas. They are much appreciated.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senators for their support this evening, more or less across the board. All Senators were very supportive and I appreciate that. As we are all aware, Private Members' time is precious and supporting small businesses and sending a strong message to the Government is vital.It shows. Most of us brought the human side to it to with our backgrounds, so that is vitally important. Will the Minister of State provide a progress report in a number of months on the small business unit and on the forum? That is a very important element and will show leadership. We would appreciate it if she could do that for us. The Minister of State has outlined the work that goes on with the LEOs, the CeADAR, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. She is doing a brilliant job and is a flag bearer for us. I ask her to continue the good work. I thank Members for the support this evening. I will leave it at that for now.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I move amendment No. 2:

After the last paragraph under "calls on the Government to:" to insert the following paragraph: “ - develop a funding stream to allow local authorities to deliver fully serviced sites to stimulate local, indigenous enterprise.”

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I second the amendment.

Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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When is it proposed to sit again?

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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Tomorrow at 9.30 a.m.

Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.