A survey of small and medium-sized businesses has highlighted their strong desire for the establishment of a development agency to help them.
Under a fifth of those questioned believed the Government was acting in their interests.
The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association is calling for a national enterprise policy to be put in place after a survey of more than 700 companies found that only 18% of owner-managers believed current Government policy was pro-enterprise.
Nine out of ten felt that Government policy was directed towards foreign direct investment.
Four out of five SMEs said there was a need for development agencies to help them, but just over half had never been a client of such an agency.
