Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Jones for her presentation on behalf of the delegation, which has given us a great deal of information. At present we are doing much work on the independent retail sector in general and its future, and this information will feed into that work. We will probably engage with her on the matter again. I have long believed there is an imbalance between independent retailers and large multiples, and this information further proves this. The difference in this case is that we are dealing with a drug. The call made by Ms Jones at the end for more cohesion and co-ordination in policy responses is well put. If any other agency or group had had 544 closures in three years that would have made headline news. It is clear that there is an issue. Is the association purely made up of independent retailers, or are any of the multiple supermarkets or off-licences members of NOffLA?