Ms Tracey Donnery:

Some 93% of our companies are SMEs and over 50% are microenterprises. Some 50% of 25,000 is 12,000 microenterprises. We find that there is a great level of collaboration among companies and a willingness to work together all over the country. We have Skillnet business networks based in every county and operating nationally. What is positive is that there is a great willingness to work together and often the business networks, and the clusters they are part of, are also the same people who are part of the local GAA, for example. There are ways of harnessing that and perhaps it is about showcasing good examples. We do a great deal of work with the retail service sector. The Retail Ireland Skillnet is 25 years old and works with retailers of all scales. I have seen many great examples in retail where people are supporting and providing a range of jobs.