John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the witnesses are familiar with the JobsPlus scheme, which offers an employer €7,500 toward taking on a person who has been on the live register less than 24 months and €10,000 for a person who has been on the liver register for 24 months or more. It is the Government's intention to extend the capacity of that scheme to include more people. We are very much aware that some employers may not be in a position to bridge the gap between taking somebody on but the €10,000 subsidy might be what is needed to do so.

I accept that broadband is not available everywhere. I understand the situation, as Rush in County Dublin does not have broadband.

How many of the businesses in the hardware association are using IT to enhance their businesses? Some people think that a website is enough but if one is running a shop, the website is another shop window and must be changed as often as a shop window changes. Some companies do not see the need to tweak the website. Have the members of the association gone down the route of trying to find out how IT can enhance the business of a SME? Let me give an example. I was getting things done in my house during the summer but as I work weird hours I do get the opportunity to go shopping. I relied on the Internet to look up doors and lamps. It was amazing to find how hard it was to find Irish suppliers and Irish suppliers who had a decent website that one would stay on long enough to want to buy something from them.

Those who buy on the Internet comprise a growing market. The Irish retailers are losing out to international retailers because they have the competitive advantage of IT to enhance their business. We are often left with no other opportunity but to buy the lamp from a retailer outside of Ireland. I met the former director of AOL Ireland, who now works for FIT, a body that upskills long-term unemployed people. They train people who have done the Momentum course, that is those who have upskilled themselves from previous jobs such as construction and so on.

Some of those with whom they work have a pilot scheme on how to help SMEs to develop their IT skills and make IT work for their business. There is a market but Irish retailers are not hitting the bullet and are losing out.