Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I beg your pardon, Deputy Bruton. I am so used to the title. I was told yesterday that there have been 16 Ministers with responsibility for enterprise over the past 40 years. Deputy Bruton was almost a permanent fixture in the Department. He was there on a number of occasions, even, I am informed, when an interim Government was in place.

With regard to the final point on healthcare, absolutely. I saw a statistic that 30% of all the data created is in the healthcare realm and that 70% of this is either not used or is underutilised. Therefore, we can see the prominence of our data capacity, be it through AI or other mechanisms we have to carve out new opportunities in this regard. We have to be to the forefront of innovation in our policies in doing that. If we are not, we will absolutely be left behind.

That brings me to the Deputy's point on data centres. Obviously, there is an inextricable link when we look at Ireland's value proposition in being the second largest worldwide exporter of ICT and having such a digital presence here.

With regard to the national economic dialogue, our corporation tax take has risen from €4 billion to €20 billion in a decade. I quoted a figure for female participation in the workforce of approximately 1.25 million. This is achieved through remote working and other methodologies. This is inextricably linked to the importance of having very sound infrastructural capacity, of which data centres are a key element. We have a lot of work to do to improve our grid. Arguably, our grid will need more investment in the next decade than it has seen in its lifetime. This indicates how strong and important it is. How the State will improve the grid will be a bigger question because it involves a unique funding stream. I am aware there are ongoing discussions, through our Cabinet subcommittee structure, on how we can improve our grid. Doing so will be so important. Private wires and other mechanisms will go only so far; the main point is that the grid has to be improved. As part of our capital infrastructure plan, this really needs to be examined; however, I know this involves a different methodology, and we have to see what we can do to bring about an improvement. I really want to underscore how important this is.

A point was made on the circular economy and sectoral issues. We are very open to the suggestion. We have done a lot of work in the area of modern methods of construction. We have published a roadmap on how to decarbonise the cement sector, which is responsible for more than 40% of our emissions. I am absolutely prepared to take suggestions on sectors to try to improve and meet the very ambitious targets we have set out in primary legislation. We can do a lot with the roadmap.

Public procurement is also a very powerful tool to have at one's disposal to change habits. We are working on this through the forthcoming green procurement action plan, which feeds into the circular economy. Many directives are coming down the line, including the right-to-repair directive. It is a matter of ensuring a very strong implementation plan for the green transition directive, which is to be transposed by 27 March 2026 and to apply from September 2026. Therefore, considerable work is being done.

We held business conferences right across the country in 2023, but it is a question of bringing a sense of urgency to the heart of our SME sector in addition to some of the bigger client portfolios of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. These bodies engage very strongly with the various sectors. Where the very biggest companies are concerned, the company at St. James's Gate is 264 years old and now has an ambitious plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 40,000 tonnes. It intends to use less water over a six-year horizon and reduce its emissions by over 90%. An aspect of the intervention through our decarbonisation scheme is that knowledge has to be shared across sectors. If an iconic brand like the one at St. James's Gate goes green and embarks on the transition, it shows that it can be done right down the scale. Through the new reporting requirements and mechanisms that put sustainability reporting on par with financial reporting for the user right down the supply chain, change has to happen. I am very open to working with and supporting industries in this regard on a sectoral basis. We are already doing this and can do more of it.

On the take-up, I believe our energy efficiency scheme was fully utilised last year. We put more money into it through the SME package this year. It is for smaller enterprises but can make a significant difference.

Regarding the retirement age, the general scheme of the legislation was referred to the joint Oireachtas committee for pre-legislative scrutiny, so we are supportive of it. The committee published a report on 24 May. We are working across government to honour the commitment and implement the recommendations in this regard. We are working on the Bill, obviously, and support it.

On hospitality, everything we do has to be evidence-based, so I have engaged with financial institutions to try to get a picture of overdraft utilisation in particular sectors. We are hearing about many concerns in the hospitality sector. I met representatives of the hospitality forum established during the Covid pandemic. Huge amounts have been invested, including approximately €12 billion in the two budgets preceding budget 2024. Much of the investment was to ensure the sectors would be kept on life support and could be recharged when restrictions were lifted. I absolutely believe there are more components to the problem than VAT; we really have to examine this in the round. I am now preparing my pre-budget submission. One of its key elements is the National Training Fund. I cannot for the life of me understand why we have not made more use of this. Spending rules seem to impose significant barriers but I believe there is a lot we can do. I have spoken to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy O'Donovan, and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, about this matter. It was referred to in the most recent Budget Statement, so I really believe that we have to see action in the forthcoming budget to address the mismatch of skills. As the Deputy alluded to, there is a surplus of nearly €2 billion. Many sectors cannot send employees for training because they have no one to backfill positions. There is a lot we can do for the sector through the utilisation of the fund, as well as by keeping the PRSI of lower-paid workers at pace with what is recommended by the Low Pay Commission and implementing all the other action points we have taken from our SME plan, which will be very important in supporting the sector. I am very willing to work with the sector and I hear the Deputy's point on it. There is a lot more going on in this area.

I have heard there is strong evidence of positive developments. I realise I am not covering sole traders or smaller businesses in saying this, but the number of incorporations is five times greater than the number of liquidations in the sector. The ratio is 10:1 in the wider economy. The number of new businesses is very significant.