Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is good to meet Mr. Light again. I must explain to everybody that Mr. Light and I sat on opposite sides of the table for many years and always got on fairly well together. I believe we managed on that basis. I was pleased with the way he concluded his presentation, talking about the need to lift consumer confidence in spending into the domestic economy. That reminds me that he and his colleagues in Mandate recognise there is a need to create consumer confidence. If we do not have people spending it is unlikely we will be able to create jobs.

My query to Mr. Light concerns how, in regard to flexibility, we can balance the difference between the importance of having a job and the importance of the rate of pay. It would appear that if a retailer is going to succeed he or she must balance the books. To do that the books must ensure that ultimately there is a profit. In the 50 years I have been in business a number of chains and shops have disappeared from the high street. In recent years, as one travels throughout the country one sees streets that have so many empty shops, which is a shame. Yet it is not merely a question of increasing consumer confidence in spending but also about being able to balance the books. How does Mr. Light reach a decision in that respect in pursuing benefits for his own members? Is it better to have somebody with a full-time job, or somebody with higher pay? The higher the pay the fewer jobs there will be. I am not sure how long that can last or how he can balance the books on that basis, and would like to hear his view. It seems to me a very large number of jobs no longer exist. When I started in business there were always young people to wheel one's trolley out to the car and there were bag-packers at every check-out in the supermarket. When one went to buy petrol there was always someone to fill the tank. However, when the rates went higher those jobs no longer existed. Is it better to have somebody in a low-paid job than to have no work? I am not sure how one strikes that balance.

Clearly, there are other areas to be considered. Mr. Light mentioned the unemployed, and our rate being the highest in Europe, a point I did not quite understand. He mentioned that recent CSO data show that the share of involuntary part-time working is also growing, with more than 135,000 workers classified as "underemployed", which represents a "staggering" 46% increase on the 2008 figures, and a figure that is also the highest in the EU. Mr. Light might explain to me exactly how we might solve that.

I have only one other point to make on what was stated, in regard to the refundable tax credit for low-paid workers. Will Mr. Light look again at that so that I can understand the point he is making? Is there something we can do on that basis?

I am introducing a Bill next week that I hope will solve the problem of upward-only rent reviews for retailers. Does Mr. Light have any comment on this area? It threatens a very large number of retail and commercial businesses. Before 2008, rent reviews were upward-only and they have been maintained. In consultation with my legal advisers I believe we have found a solution. We will introduce it next week and will seek the support of everyone in that respect.