Tourism bosses have called for a wider government rescue package than the €4bn in income support measures; and want businesses in their industry to receive the bulk of it.

The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) is providing €50m in lower-cost funding to Ireland’s SME sector for the purchase new and used equipment, machinery and vehicles.

All companies should now be preparing for a worst possible Brexit scenario, Business Minister Heather Humphreys has warned.

Confidence levels amongst Irish SMEs have slumped to a record low, although firms based in Munster are the most optimistic, according to a survey.

The National Treasury Management Agency has appointed EY to carry out an external review of the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, has said the Brexit loan scheme launched last March is working, and people are applying for the funding.

Bankers indicated last week that pig farmers may be the most stretched sector financially, and that cattle finishers are considering selling feed rather than buying cattle.

The next low-cost farmer loan scheme will be focused on long-term capital investment and finance, unlike the previous cash flow scheme.

Despite the Government’s claims, it seems small businesses are still struggling to secure funding from banks, writes Michael Clifford.

The number of high fliers at the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) and the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) paid more than €100,000 has jumped by six, to 246, writes Gordon Deegan.

Business growth is rolling on and the exchequer is benefiting in no small way.

Businesses affected by Brexit will be able to avail of Government-backed loans to give them some headroom next year.

Loans of up to €1 million each will be available to businesses affected by Brexit, from next year’s €300m scheme announced in the budget, writes Stephen Cadogan.

The Government has said it will provide further details of its €300m Brexit loan scheme for SMEs in the coming weeks amid mounting uncertainty among industry groups.

There has been a big increase in loan refusals from banks to SMEs, the body representing the sector claims.

Only one in five interviewed for the 2017 Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll was concerned about their level of debt.

Small business lobby group Isme has slammed the level of bank lending to SMEs as “concerning” and “disappointing” after revealing the loan refusal rate has jumped from 23% to 28% of applications during the second quarter of the year.

Banker Nick Ashmore has praised the agriculture community for being “incredibly financially savvy and interest rate sensitive”.

An economic think-tank has urged the Government to ditch its ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ plan in favour of a new housing model centred on a commercial semi-state utility system.

The Government has been accused of “not learning their lesson from the property crash” after it emerged that house prices have risen almost 8% over the last year.

The number of staff at the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) and National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) who were paid over €100,000 last year rose to 240 from some 223 in 2015.

Brexit-hit farmers and food producers will be able to access a financial lifeline under plans for a €150m emergency fund to be announced by Agriculture Minister Michael Creed today.

Soaring insurance costs and the harmful effects of the slump of sterling against the euro need to be addressed, the Irish Exporters’ Association has said.

Enda Kenny made big claims five years ago. Yet businesses, and particularly SMEs, are facing the same old problems, writes Peter O’Dwyer

Irish SMEs are continuing to pay over the odds to access funding, despite minor decreases in the cost of credit over the past year.