Ms Jean McCabe:

Deputy Dolan is 100% right on the local authority direction. I always say that the benchmark for any town in the country is Kildare Village. That is the experience you need to deliver and that is what customers expect. That is the benchmark that they need to work towards. That is managing every element of the experience from the minute you get out of the car. Unfortunately, that expertise does not sit in local government.

To go to the Deputy's question, there is no doubt that the biggest cost for everyone has been the increase in wage costs that we have seen. They are incomprehensible for so many. I often ask how someone would survive if their mortgage went up by 44% in six years, because that is essentially what we are asking businesses to do.

Outside of that, what we are seeing is a lot of businesses that are maintaining their sales volume. They are busy fools but there is nothing at the end. You are seeing hours changing. You are seeing stores closing on a Monday in towns. You are seeing closures at 5 p.m. You are seeing stores opening later. You are seeing that part-time position at the weekend being only one now when it used to be three. That is the type of tailoring that businesses are doing. Mr. De Luca would be able to give an example of things that he has had to do in his business to make it sustainable and to try to grow.