SEANAD REPORT:THE GOVERNMENT was "acutely aware" of the importance of the small and medium enterprises business sector, which employed more than 650,000 people, Minister of State for Small Business John Perry told the Seanad yesterday.

“Our challenge has been, and continues to be, where to target our efforts and financial supports and interventions to best effect over the coming months.

“In these constrained economic circumstances, this requires difficult choices to be made in the face of enormous challenges,” he said. Speaking on the Report of the Advisory Group for Small Business, Mr Perry said his aim was to ensure that small businesses continued to play “a central role” in economic recovery.

“Their ability to succeed and grow underpins our future potential for jobs, growth and prosperity.

“There are almost 200,000 small businesses in Ireland, involving over 650,000 people throughout the country.

“They are currently operating in a particularly difficult environment, and I believe it is vital that we continue to focus on actions that achieve positive improvements in the operating environment for small businesses,” Mr Perry said.

The Government had recently committed to a multi-annual action plan on jobs, with quarterly targets and a strict implementation process.

“This will be key to delivering a rolling set of reforms across the economy and Government to support the Government’s number one priority of job-retention and creation,” Mr Perry said.

On the order of business, Senator Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fáil) asked when the Government would finally publish its mortgage arrears implementation strategy.

“I remind my colleagues that the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, gave a firm commitment in this House that it would be done prior to the budget on December 6th.

“But it was not done. Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, said it would be done before Christmas and that the Government would let people know what it would do with the 10 per cent and upwards of principal private residential mortgages which are more than 90 days in arrears, but that was not done.

“I heard in media reports that the Cabinet was to get a report last week or is to get one this week,” he said.

“When will the Government publish this long-awaited mortgage arrears implementation strategy?

“It is almost three months since the publication of the Keane report but this report has still not been published,” Mr O’Brien said.