At the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment this morning, we met representatives from the SME community and listened to the tsunami of difficulties facing small and medium-sized businesses in this country. They range from energy bills to delays in accessing energy grants and rebates, on top of rising rates, insurance problems and town planning issues, which are crippling many businesses coming up to Christmas.

The representatives have asked for two things. First is the inclusion of ISME on the board of the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, which I previously brought up in this House. Second is the creation of a body to help non-exporting businesses access export markets in terms of the domestic economy. I ask one more thing. Given the significant problems in the indigenous sector, will the Government look at developing an emergency task force to look at the incredible challenges facing small business? Otherwise, we will have a raft of business redundancies and unemployment in the new year.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Small to medium enterprises are the backbone of our economy. My understanding is that there was a task force up to a year ago and that it has completed its work and its recommendations have been implemented by the Ministers of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. LEEF does very valuable work. There is a long-standing issue with ISME. IBEC is on LEEF representing -----

ISME is not.

I know but there is an SME component to IBEC too. I know the issues. There is a multiplicity, or really two bodies in the main, in the SME category.

Generally on the export side, Enterprise Ireland looks after export companies. I have always thought there should be a continuum from the local enterprise offices, LEOS, or from the microenterprise sector to enable companies to get to the start-up position and export.