Conlan welcomes IBEC survey which shows business confidence at four-year high – 27/03/13

Fine Gael TD for Cavan/Monaghan, Sean Conlan, has welcomed the findings of a survey carried out by

business group, IBEC which shows that business confidence rose to its highest level in four years in the first quarter of 2013. The business sentiment survey found sales and order book indicators pointed toward growth while one in four managers indicated they would hire new employees in the coming quarter.

“The findings from IBEC’s survey are extremely encouraging and provide real indicators that we are getting our economy back working.

“It is extremely significant that one in four managers indicated they would hire new employees in the coming quarter and I take great encouragement that findsales and order book indicators pointed toward growth.

“The survey also shows that the current conditions index, which rates chief executives’ perceptions of the overall business environment, rose to -6 from -14 the previous quarter.

“IBEC has attributed the improvement in confidence evident in this survey to a recovery in the domestic economy.

“The following measures show how this this Government is improving the environment for businesses and in doing so, helping to improve our economy. We have done this by helping to create the conditions for employment by not increasing income tax and through the introduction of pragmatic, job-friendly measures:

– Private sector employment is up by 15,700 in the past 15 months, compared with the

destruction of 250,000 jobs in the final three years of the last Fianna Fáil Government;

– We announced a €2.25 billion stimulus in job-rich public infrastructure projects;

– 3 new long terms funding programmes announced by NPRF to provide capital of up to €900

million to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs);

– We cut the cost of red tape on businesses by 19% (worth up to €289m in cost reductions

annually);

– We implemented 92% of the 270 actions in the 2012 Jobs Plan designed to make it easier to

businesses to invest and expand employment.”