Vol. 459 No. 8
133 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the total number of recommendations contained in the small business task force report; the number that have been accepted by the Government; the number that have been implemented to date; and if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the recommendations of the report. [19023/95]
A total of 121 recommendations have been identified in the report of the Task Force on Small Business. The latest position is that 18 recommendations have been fully implemented and a further 20 partially implemented.
It is clear from the Government's document, A Government of Renewal, that the Government accepts the task force's agenda for improving the operating environment for small business. However, every recommendation needs to be examined on its merits. In some cases options need to be explored as to how to deliver the essence, if not the letter of a recommendation. In other cases, there may be a very substantial body of work in the pursuit of just one recommendation. Moreover, the large number of tax recommendations in the report have to be considered annually in the context of fiscal policy and competing demands in relation to the budget.
