Small town business pressures
Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan called for an action plan to help small businesses survive rising energy, insurance and rates pressures. The Chair cut him short for being over time, and he briefly added a lighthearted remark about west Cork.
I have concerns about the plight of small businesses in small towns. I would like to see an action plan to prevent closures and protect them. They have experienced a perfect storm. They have survived Covid, largely due to the supports we in government provided, but now face an energy crisis, the increased cost of insurance and increased commercial rates in some counties. Added to that are some necessary measures we have brought forward, such as statutory sick pay and pension auto-enrolment. I would like to see some of those measures staggered to help businesses survive this and to see an action plan.
I have to address Deputy Collins’s comments on west Cork. He portrayed it as a bleak dump. I would like to------
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-----make the point that west Cork is a paradise for anybody who lives there or has visited. I would encourage anyone to go there.