Mr. Rob Murphy:

I am from Ballinrobe in County Mayo and our family business is a Centra food market. We have traded in groceries for 56 years and the shop was established by my grandmother. We employ 17 people in full and part-time work. Our weekly wages amount to almost €4,000. Our shop is down 20% in trading since 2007 and our income has reduced by 50%. Like many small towns, our town is suffering. Eight years ago, a multinational arrived on the edge of town and created a rival town centre. We have a major issue with car parking charges in the town. On the basis of the free market we understand the logic of multinationals coming to rural Ireland but also on the basis of the free market we seek a fair and level playing field. I am not here to ask anyone to prop up the local corner shop. We live in a free market and such shops will survive only if we can provide a quality service and value and something consumers want. We believe we have this but we do not have a fair playing field. We are calling for towns to be regenerated by being given a chance to compete with the out-of-town developments that have sprung up throughout the country.