Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to deal with the issue of online shopping, which came up earlier. It increased substantially during the lockdown. What plans have we put in place to deal with this issue and the challenges? The more shopping that is done locally, the more jobs that are protected. What plan has been put in place to deal with this in the Gaeltacht areas and across the entire country? A lot of the online shopping we have now is from the UK. After 31 December, the UK will have exited the European Union. What plans are in place to deal with online shopping from the UK after that date?

My next question is about helping companies based in Gaeltacht areas to become more involved in online retail.

Many companies from Gaeltacht areas are already involved in online shopping. What further incentives and financial assistance can be given to them to help them compete in a totally changed market? Although the research conducted so far is limited, I imagine that when surveys are conducted over the next few months, the increase will be shown to have been substantial. We, therefore, face new market challenges. What new financial incentives will be put in place so that companies based in rural and Gaeltacht areas can deal with those challenges?