Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

The report the Central Bank issued yesterday will make chilling reading for those in the retail sector, particularly in the run-up to Christmas. As Senator O'Sullivan has indicated, more than 30% of all sales take place in December. We are in the run-up to 8 December and the period beyond when there is increased consumer spending. However, the Central Bank report indicates that people are continuing to save and not spend. I ask the Leader to encourage those consumers, who will be able to afford to spend this Christmas, to focus on Irish-made goods to protect jobs in the retail sector. The Government cannot do so because of EU competition law, but there is nothing to prevent this House and the Oireachtas in general from promoting Irish-made goods because every time a consumer purchases an Irish-made good it saves a job. With the multiplicity of retail outlets and the multiplicity of well made Irish products the consumer can now make the choice in favour of Irish goods.

Under the public petitions initiative, I ask the Leader to consider inviting representatives of the retail sector to come to the House next year. We are embarking on this initiative to highlight areas of society which are not normally highlighted. If the Government is, as we all are, promoting job creation, it is important for this House to play its part. In that context if representatives were to come to the House in January, they could give us an update and perhaps propose some initiatives that would help to not only protect jobs in the retail sector but would create new ones.