SFA Chair meets Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach to discuss small business environment

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SFA Chair meets Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach to discuss small business environment

Sue O’Neill, SFA Chair, today met with Martin Fraser, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach at the Presidents’ Lunch hosted by the Secretary General.

Sue O’Neill stated: “Despite moving in the right direction, we have not seen the "leap forward in the capacity and performance of our enterprise sector" aspired to in the Programme for Government. Such a "leap forward" will not happen as a by-product of piecemeal changes.

“In fact, we in Ireland know exactly what it takes to support real transformational change, as we have successfully done it in relation to foreign direct investment. A clear strategy, pursued consistently over decades by all government ministers, departments and agencies has given us the world-class environment for multinational companies that we have today.

“The Small Firms Association is now calling for the government to shift its attention to the quarter of a million indigenous enterprises that are present in every city, town and village in the country. We need a 'Small Business Strategy' to enable these indigenous enterprises to thrive. We need a clear statement from government that it will support home grown enterprises and stand behind those individuals who take the risk to start their own business.”

Article Published: 24/04/2018