Supporting small jobs and businesses in Kildare will be the focus of a specially organised conference by Fine Gael, according to Fine Gael Fine Gael Kildare South TD and Minister of State Martin Heydon.

The ‘Small Business and Enterprise Conference’ which will be held at Thomond Park stadium, Limerick, on Saturday, 24th September, should be beneficial for those who are self-employed, want to develop their business, or want to work in a new professional field.

Among those speaking at the conference are An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness, and Ministers Paschal Donohoe, Heather Humphreys, Simon Harris and Damien English.

Minister Heydon said: “Fine Gael has always backed small businesses and entrepreneurs, which are crucial to job creation in Kildare and the development of our economy. Each one of them has taken the decision to branch out and start a business or work on their own. We will support them every step of the way.

“There are over a million people working in SMEs, and we want to make sure that businesses in Kildare the help they need to grow and expand their workforce and activities.

“After the recession, the county got back on its feet and jobs and investment returned. Ahead of any potential repercussions from Brexit, assistance and supports were made available to help all those through it.

“Billions have been provided to help businesses respond to Brexit and the pandemic, and measures were taken to ensure small employers would survive and entrepreneurs could take brave steps to establish new ways of working.

“We want to listen to businesses in Kildare to see how we can best help them to realise their ambitions, unlock new markets, develop the skills of their employees and respond to future challenges. That is what our conference on September 24th in Limerick is all about,”

An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “Fine Gael is Ireland’s most pro-enterprise, pro-business party. This conference is an opportunity for senior Party figures to hear directly from businesspeople, members and non-members. We want to better understand the challenges and opportunities before them with a view to helping out on both.

“We want SMEs to be well positioned to take full advantage of all opportunities and prepare them to succeed both domestically and in an increasingly competitive global market.

“We will do this with continued investment in people, in digitalisation, climate and innovation. I look forward to engaging with our members, supporters, business owners and representative groups on September 24th.”