John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this very important Bill. I welcome the timely arrival of the Bill in the House. I lobbied very strongly for the retention of the groceries order because I felt that protection was vital for many of our smaller traders. I accept and respect the decision of the Minister, Deputy Martin, because he felt that there was a better way to protect these people. He has pointed out that during the lifetime of the groceries order from 1987 onwards, approximately 2,000 small shops closed down. The Minister felt, therefore, that the order was not giving the necessary protection. I am not perturbed about how we protect the small trader, whether it is by the groceries order or by the Competition Act, we just need a level playing pitch.

Coming from a rural constituency in west Limerick, I am very conscious of the contribution made to the local economy by our small shopkeepers and small supermarket owners. These people have been plucky enough to invest substantial money in business in a small town or village in west Limerick and elsewhere. They have given employment to ten to 20 local people, which is very valuable. It is for those reasons, as well as for the convenience of the local consumer, that we should give every protection possible to those businesses to make sure that they can be sustained in the future. I have no doubt the Minister is setting out to do that and I wish him well.

As one who faced the decision recently, before I left Limerick County Council, to rezone lands for the arrival of Tesco in the county town of Limerick, Newcastlewest, I welcomed the multiple because I believed consumers there and in surrounding areas were entitled to a choice. It was Tesco's first venture into County Limerick and it came to Newcastlewest. I wish it well provided the playing pitch remains level.

Deputy Ring referred to Fianna Fáil having the ear of big business. I did a radio interview recently, the day the building regulations were announced. The first question Matt Cooper asked me was what our builder friends in Fianna Fáil thought of all this. Sometimes I ask myself why developers and builders and 40% of the public support Fianna Fáil. Is it not perhaps because Fianna Fáil has got the climate right in Ireland for many years and supported small business? By supporting small businesses, we have helped them grow into big businesses. We have got the climate right and Commissioner McCreevy has made this point consistently about support for business. We are seen as a rich man's Government, but when those businesses are thriving, they give employment and the knock-on effect is felt all along the line. It is the right policy and I commend Commissioner McCreevy on adopting it while in government.

Mention was again made of the Galway races and the Fianna Fáil tent, which I cannot understand, since I believe Fine Gael is to have a tent at the Punchestown races. We did not hear any mention of it. Perhaps that party is taking a leaf from our book, and I welcome that. There is nothing wrong with it. I have never been fortunate enough to be in the Fianna Fáil tent, but perhaps I may at some stage.

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