Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá brón orm nach raibh mé anseo ag tús an chur i láthair. It is correct that when we frame these conversations we must be cognisant of the catastrophe that has happened in the sector. It would not be fair to do otherwise.

With regard to the budgetary process, we met the troika and it was quite shocked at how long the process is in Ireland. It really starts in July when the discussions begin in public. Many of the sector's issues focus on cost base. That is logical because it is an item that could be under the control of the State. Obviously, demand has collapsed so I would like to hear more from the witnesses about how to stimulate demand in the economy. On jobs retention, Germany has a system under which viable companies can put in a proposal whereby over a small period of time, perhaps a year or 18 months, they get some level of support from the state to help them keep their employees employed. That stops after the specified period.

There is a view that the issue of upward-only rent reviews is dead and buried, but there are possibilities. We could legislate for a reduction in the length of rental contracts. I understand that rental contracts in this State are far longer than the European average. A reduction of those rental contracts would allow for the frozen high rents to come to an end sooner, which would be in everybody's interest.

Have the witnesses considered the idea of a progressive rates base, whereby the rates take is not changed but the balance of who pays the rates changes? In other words, a small firm that is not making a profit would pay slightly lower rates than a large multinational that is making a larger profit. Therefore, typically a rate would be based upon the type and size of the business as well as taking into consideration the profitability of the business.

What are the witnesses' views on those issues?