Mr. Declan Hughes:

We had intended to review casual trading, as announced in 2018. The world changed dramatically during Covid. As the Deputy mentioned, the range of entrepreneurship we see is very impressive, as is the facilitation by local authorities in particular. They are due great credit for the way in which they have facilitated good businesses to have options for off-site and on-street trading.

The same applies to entrepreneurs starting new businesses and who have gone on to scale. We all know those examples, which are good models and fully digitalised as well. We might come back to the committee on this or my colleague might come in on this matter later, if we have time.

Turning to the two points made on corporate social responsibility and the sustainable development goals, as part of our trade strategy, Value for Ireland, Values for the World, we have placed our focus on the SDGs as part of our trade and investment focus for the future. We are working with countries that have shared values, especially concerning the protection of workers' rights and the prevention of forced labour, and the checking of those, as well as in respect of climate and adherence to the Paris Agreement. Particularly notable in that context is the new trade agreement between New Zealand and the EU reached on Sunday. This has gone further than any previous trade agreements, of which there are over 40 with more than 70 countries. This sets a template in respect of the context in which we will negotiate with countries that have shared values, especially relating to the Paris Agreement, forced labour, the protection of workers' rights and a whole range of other areas in terms of digitalisation, etc.

We have now established, with a colleague, Ronnie Downes, a new subgroup of our enterprise forum to specifically look at the topic of responsible business to ensure there is an awareness of the range of initiatives coming at EU and broader international levels and what these will mean for business. The subgroup is also exploring what initiatives businesses can take. We previously had a unit in the Department looking after corporate social responsibility. This provided the templates, the case studies and the learning for how businesses can engage effectively with their local communities. Enterprises undertaking such initiatives need to be clear about what it is they want to do as businesses and to have a clear strategy concerning why they are doing it and the reasons for the undertaking. Are these genuine or will they be seen as greenwashing, etc., as well? There is also the question of how companies wish to give back and what their priority areas are in this regard. I say this because every company will be different in terms of the needs of communities. If companies have a clear plan and engagement, then there are networks and other aspects in this regard that I will be very happy to provide the detail of to the committee. The new subgroup will be helpful addressing responsible business as part of the enterprise forum because this includes all our business representative groups. Consideration will be given to how it is possible to cohere the initiatives and ensure we are not tripping over each other.

I will quickly mention that my colleagues, David Hegarty and Jean Carberry, have been working with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and stakeholders specifically on the issue of the National Training Fund. Employers are contributing to this fund. We see it as essential because we have a young population and these young people will be in the workforce in the next 20 to 30 years, but the world of work is going to change dramatically in this time. The importance of upskilling and reskilling, which are already important, will be even more so in the context of digitalisation, including things like artificial intelligence, AI, and green skills. I mentioned the transformation happening in construction. This is happening, however, across all our sectors. Whether we are talking about advanced medtech, pharma or engineering, there is a need for significant reskilling.

On the disability side and access in this regard, there are many initiatives in this context now. The first port of call is the Intreo offices in working with Skillnet Ireland and SOLAS and the skills audits. Other initiatives being taken, especially in terms of language skills at local levels, are being supported by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure that people coming here with skills will have an opportunity to work either full or part time. Some of these initiatives are well documented but this is something we will take up with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to see if there is more untapped potential and more we can do.