Cllr John Clendennen, Fine Gael candidate in the upcoming general election, today warmly welcomed the decision by Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment to revise and update the guidelines for stress testing the effect of new or updated legislation on SMEs.
The SME test is an impact assessment tool that has been designed to assist policymakers consider the effect any new legislation will have on SMEs.
Cllr Clendennen stated “I have been calling for a re-assessment of these guidelines for some time as I felt they were not fully fit for purpose. I am glad to see that, under the new guidelines, all primary and secondary legislative proposals, new policies and strategies will need to carry out a strict SME test.”.
“Many pieces of legislation are designed to cover big corporations, and the smaller SMEs lack the resources to keep pace with the requirements, thus creating an unfair burden”.
“While this development is welcome, I want the process to go one step further and ensure there is direct SME participation and input in the process, rather than merely a cross-government internal process. This process must be carried out in good faith, with the sector, to ensure no surprises and no unintended consequences ” Cllr Clendennen concluded.
