Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That was useful. I thank our guests for their presentations. We will revert to them in a couple of months' time, as this is an ongoing discussion. We hope to make a report at the end.

A major issue with grant aiding one bunch but not others in the same town is the possibility of competition displacement. The solution is probably the team approach that was suggested. Funding could be drawn down as a town rather than as individual businesses. Nearly all retailers are in business together but are also in competition with one another. It is difficult for enterprise boards and the like to grant aid them, whereas factories and businesses coming to an area are something new. We need to find a way around this problem. The message has gone out that retail needs support. The question now is how best to direct that support to those retailers that need it. The town approach is the only one that can address this problem. I hope that during our discussions we will be able to find, focus on and recommend a number of solutions.