The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD,
together with the Minister of State for Small Business, John Perry TD,
today (Monday) launched “Managing Out of The Crisis”, a simple guide to
assist small businesses in difficulty.
The guide, which was developed in response to a recommendation from the
Advisory Group for Small Business, provides simple advice for small
businesses facing difficulties, as well as contact details and website
addresses for organisations where further guidance will be available.
The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will be displaying the
guide on its website, and has contacted business representative
organisations, the CEB network, banks and other relevant organisations and
ask them to display the guide in their branches and on their websites.
Today’s announcement comes following the delivery of a key commitment in
the Action Plan for Jobs.
Minister Bruton said: “A key part of the Government’s plan for jobs and
growth is not only to ensure that we have new companies starting up, but
also that we protect to the greatest extent possible the jobs in existing
businesses. We are currently undergoing a transition as a country, from the
old, failed economy based on property to a new, sustainable economy based
on innovation and enterprise. This transition, as well as the economic
crisis from 2008, poses challenges for many businesses. The role of
Government in this situation is to act to help businesses manage those
challenges so that the greatest possible number of jobs are protected and
created.”
“What is clear to me as I travel around the country meeting small
business-owners and entrepreneurs is that some small companies are living
day-to-day, concerned above all about issues such as paying wages and
creditors. Business representatives have asked Government to provide a
guide to help people deal with these issues. My hope is that the advice and
assistance contained in today’s announcement will make a difference to
those businesses, help them survive their difficulties, and ultimately
protect and create the jobs we need”.
The Advisory Group for Small Business (AGSB), chaired by Minister for Small
Business John Perry TD, in its Report, “The Voice of Small Business”,
recommended the development and wide circulation of the Guide setting out
the warning signs and encouraging small businesses to ask for help.
Minister Perry said: “The reality is that within any enterprise structure
there is a constant churn of company formation and closure. Ensuring that
the system is supportive as companies face difficulties, in the current
environment is therefore, vitally important. It is against this background
that the Government committed under the Action Plan for Jobs to develop a
practical Information Guide - “Managing out of the Crisis”.
Minister Perry added that the publication of the Information Guide “is
continuing evidence of this Government’s efforts to ensure that as many
small businesses as possible can, through accessing the various web-links
set down in the Guide, have the confidence to start tackling any problems
they may have and work their way through them, in consultation with the
relevant service providers. The sooner that businesses spot potential
problems, the sooner they can fix them”.
Minister Perry further said that the members of the Advisory Group for
Small Business had assisted the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation in drafting the Guide and had signed off on its publication at
their meeting on Tuesday 19 June. Minister Perry thanked the AGSB members
for their valuable inputs and encouraged all Business Representative
Organisations, the CEB Network, banks, etc. to disseminate the Guide as
widely as possible, by putting it up on their respective websites.
The Guide is also available at:
www.djei.ie/publications/managingoutofthecrisis.pdf