George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)

I thank today's witnesses for their presentations. They were very informative. I appreciate the reference to utilities and infrastructure, but my questions relate more directly to the cost of doing business. One question relates to commercial real estate both in Dublin and the rest of the country. How does Dublin compare internationally and how does the rest of the country compare? Is availability an issue? Is affordability an issue? How do they relate in terms of attracting business to areas?

In light of the serious challenges, what strategies is Chambers Ireland promoting to seek and maintain the competitiveness of SMEs?

My final question is not about competitiveness but the attractiveness of Dublin. A visitor tax for Dublin has been discussed. What is the view of the witnesses on that and how would they like to see the revenue being spent in terms of improving the product Dublin can be?