A ROUSING second-half recovery wasn’t enough to rescue Waterford champions Ballinameela in yesterday’s Munster Club JHC semi-final in Cappamore as their hosts had already done the damage before the break.

CHANGES to the social welfare system to enable the self-employed to access benefits and boost entrepren-eurship are being demanded by the Small and Medium Enterprises Association.

CONFIDENCE levels among small firms worsened slightly in the second quarter of the year, according to a new survey.

INTERVENTION by the Credit Review Office has resulted in €1.77 million in credit being made available to small firms who otherwise would have gone out of business.

SME business confidence has continued to improve for the third quarter running, with a net 1% of companies less optimistic about business prospects in comparison to a net 13% in the previous quarter.

A Dublin city councillor showed no remorse today when she was found guilty of assaulting former Health Minister Mary Harney who was splattered with red paint at a hospital last November.

Business body ISME has lashed out at suggestions that employers will have to pay women full pay for 20 weeks maternity leave.

CONTROVERSIAL new EU laws which propose to increase maternity leave to 20 weeks fully paid will devastate small businesses and cause further jobs losses if forced onto employers, it has been claimed.

A THIRD of companies are expecting to cut jobs over the next few months with well over half of construction firms planning to lay off workers.

STRADBALLY remain in the hunt to retain their Waterford SFC title but only after a dramatic finish to Saturday’s semi-final at Dungarvan’s Fraher Field.

BUSINESS confidence is at its highest level in three years as employment, sales and export levels improve.

THE head of the new Credit Review Office – aimed at overseeing bank lending to SMEs – has expressed confidence in his role making a difference, despite the fact that he will have no statutory powers.

THE level of job losses among small businesses is slowing, with one in three firms expecting conditions to improve this year.

APATHY among Ireland’s small business community regarding the NAMA process remains in place despite the European Commission giving its stamp of approval.

EMPLOYMENT subsidy schemes should be extended to small companies to reboot the economy, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) says.

BUSINESSES could be forced to close permanently if insurance companies use the flooding crisis as an excuse to raise already high premium rates, it has been claimed.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises organisation ( ISME) says Irish business confidence is improving despite exceptionally difficult trading conditions.

IT was a wonderful weekend for the Kerry clubs in the opening round of the Martin O’Sullivan Cup.

Employers' group ISME has today described the results of its first quarterly trends survey for 2009 as "extremely concerning".

HALF of struggling small businesses are having orders cancelled as concern mounts over the dramatic fall in exports and the weak sterling hits firms harder than it was firstanticipated.

The recent inflation reduction needs to be reflected in business costs, particularly those influenced by the State, according to the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME).

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan warned yesterday the strength of the euro against sterling requires wage cuts and cost reductions if the economy is to grow out of its malaise.

ACTIONS, not words, are now needed to help cash-strapped small businesses, which are set to benefit from a pledge by recapitalised banks to increase lending.

THE crisis-ridden small business sector will be hit with further redundancies and company closures next year.

The standardised unemployment rate in Ireland has increased sharply to 7.8% over the past month, according to the latest CSO figures.

Trading conditions continue to be extremely difficult for SMEs, with 40% of companies employing less and 15% employing more, according to a report issued today.

STERLING’S sharp deterioration in the past week threatens the earnings outlook of many Irish companies that depend on Britain for substantial amounts of their profits.

STERLING fell sharply against the euro and the dollar yesterday raising fears for Irish exports to Britain in particular.

A new report has claimed that there has been an upsurge in black market activity in this country in the past six months.

A LEADING economist warned last night that more manufacturing job losses are on the cards as figures showed manufacturing output declined faster than industry as a whole.

STARK divisions within Government over the Pensions Board report on future pension policy were heightened yesterday when the country’s two leading employer groups rejected its conclusions.

MORE than 70 companies and organisations attended the Northside Partnership’s breakfast briefing on employing people with disabilities or from diverse backgrounds yesterday.

Business leaders and bank officials are calling for changes to the national wage agreement after figures showing public sector wages up by nearly 10% last year.

THE Banking Sector Strategic Issues, a review of Irish banking, has been gathering dust since it was published jointly in July 2000 by the Central Bank and the Department of Finance.

Irish businesses are more optimistic about their prospects than they have been since the beginning of 2002.

Business organisation ISME has expressed its dismay at the increase in the headline rate of inflation and has demanded the Government publish its anti-inflation strategy.

A new survey of small business has shown growing dissatisfaction with services provided by An Post.

THE country’s grey economy is robbing the Government of close to €1.6 billion in unpaid taxes annually.

BUSINESS organisations have warned that Britain’s decision not to join the euro could threaten thousands of jobs.

SMALL businesses will be hardest hit by Britain’s decision not to join the euro, ISME warned last night.

The Small and Medium Enterprises Group says inflation is likely to top 6% by Easter.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises association says high costs are putting small businesses out of business.

WORKERS calling in sick are costing small businesses more than €500m each year, according to ISME.