1. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the measures he is taking to ensure that small- and medium-sized businesses can access affordable credit and avoid being burdened with high borrowing costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51024/25]
Sentiment score: 0.03
Will the Minister outline the measures he is taking to ensure small- and medium-sized businesses can access affordable credit and avoid being burdened with high borrowing costs? Access to affordable credit is a significant barrier to our SMEs that want to expand and grow their market share. As they try to navigate their way around all of the challenges they face, they need access to credit.
Sentiment score: 0.43
I welcome these initiatives but last year, in 2024, we saw no real growth in Ireland's SME bank debt, with continued low demand from applicants and an overly cautious approach to risk from the banks. SMEs with any form of credit challenge find it difficult to access credit from the traditional financial institutions, even more so since the departure of Ulster Bank and KBC from the market. These are the sources where most small and retail businesses go to look for credit. Despite what the Minister says he is doing to make credit more accessible for SMEs, a recent report from IBEC revealed that 63% of SMEs still consider the application process to be overly complex and lengthy. Many SMEs do not have the knowledge and expertise to navigate the overcomplicated process of securing finance, even more so now that the banks have automated their application processes and removed all human interaction with local bank managers who would have traditionally advised and assisted a struggling applicant.
Sentiment score: 0.06
I welcome this. The problem sometimes is that many of these systems are automated and somebody may not have an absolutely clear record. There can be many reasons for this which are explainable, and at one time people could have gone in and sat down with the bank manager to explain the reason something happened and they could come to an agreement. This was also the case for people with good creditworthiness. This is something that needs to be looked at. With regard to the length of time it can take to draw down credit, I wonder whether any analysis has been done on situations where all of a grant is drawn down by one cohort of people while another cohort of people, such as those coming to our constituency offices, find it very difficult. We need to be conscious of this and ensure we bring all businesses with us and ensure the sustainability of all businesses.
Sentiment score: 0.38
3. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the means by which existing grant and support schemes are being simplified to make them more accessible to small and medium businesses; the steps his Department is taking to cut unnecessary red tape and reduce the administrative burden on small businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51025/25]
Sentiment score: 0.03
The previous question is a very important one. Will the Minister outline the means by which the Department is simplifying access to existing grant and support schemes for our SMEs and the steps he is taking to reduce the administrative burden for those businesses? The administrative burden on small and medium-sized enterprises is a major impediment for business owners around the country at the moment, sucking vital resources away from businesses that could be better deployed elsewhere. By no means am I suggesting reducing the needed scrutiny in the context of the previous question.
Sentiment score: 0.15
The issue is that we still have too many people coming into our constituency offices who cannot get the help and support they need to access grants. I hope that any grants announced in the budget will be thought out properly. The way to do that as regards the design of the grants is to have small businesses involved at the design stage of these grants because they will be able to see what impediments may arise that would prevent them from accessing the grants. You often find that the businesses that least need a grant can get it while those that really need it cannot access it either because of the criteria being too tight or the administrative burden being too large. This significant time and effort could be redirected to other business and substantial costs could be saved if compliance and regulations in public authority reporting could be eased. Again, I am in no way suggesting deregulation. We only have to look at the issue of defective concrete blocks to see the results of deregulation in this country.
Sentiment score: 0.19
Will the Minister think about this? In Sinn Féin's manifesto and over a number of years, we have envisaged the establishment of a mol gnó, a new Irish enterprise agency focused specifically on scaling existing Irish businesses. This would be a strong agency for non-export focused start-ups and established companies. It would specifically cover the void in support from existing agencies like Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. Enterprise Ireland and the IDA do a really good job but we are not using the space we have at the moment to address over-reliance on foreign direct investment. Although we absolutely need and thrive on foreign direct investment, we have to bridge that gap. In setting up a new agency – I hate the idea of a new agency – we must ensure it is something with specific targets and aims for that area to increase our indigenous businesses rapidly in the space they have been given.
Sentiment score: 0.30
5. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when the action plan on collective bargaining will be published; the timeline for publication of the underpinning legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51026/25]
Sentiment score: 0.01
My question relates to the publication of the action plan on collective bargaining that underpins the EU directive on an adequate minimum wage. When will we see the contents of this plan? What is the timeline for the delivery of the legislation underpinning that? There is a commitment in the programme for Government to finalise this action plan by the end of 2025. It will be October next week and the Minister is running out of road in this regard.
Sentiment score: 0.12
This is absolutely critical because we are at a juncture regarding how we will shape our economy going forward. We cannot have an economy without workers. We need to stop viewing it as workers versus employers because the benefits of collective bargaining are huge. I commend the campaign in this regard which is being run by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, in particular, and the presentation yesterday in the audiovisual room. People will be surprised to see that although there is a constitutional right for people to be part of a union, there is no legal obligation on the employer to engage with that union. We have an imbalance there that needs to be addressed. Investing in SMEs and microbusinesses to rescue jobs and protect our communities should be a priority for all our parties. It is certainly a priority for Sinn Féin.
Sentiment score: 0.25
Six of the top ten FDI companies enable union representation. We know for a fact that it increases respect for management. It increases as union recognition increases. We need to take heed of the good jobs Bill in the North as well, because that is really making inroads in this area in terms of union recognition. As a party, Sinn Féin has long stood in support of trade union recognition and the fundamental right of workers to be represented by their unions. I acknowledge the work of my colleague, Deputy Louise O'Reilly, in this area, as well as the work of my former colleague, a former Senator, Paul Gavan, with regard to the support and progression of trade unions and trade union representatives. We on this side of the House are committed to the rights of workers right across this island. Again, this speaks to the all-island economy. We need congruence of workers' rights across the island too.
Sentiment score: 0.31