Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I am in favour of cross-Border shopping. It is a healthy and important part of developing relationships and understanding on a North-South basis and throughout the island of Ireland. However, what we are witnessing today is an unprecedented exodus from the southern Border counties, in particular, but from further South also with very serious consequences for the retail sector in the southern Border counties and for the sustainability of jobs across that area of economic activity. We in counties Cavan and Monaghan and in the other Border counties are witnessing the closing down and the turning off of lights for the last time on a week-by-week basis in countless businesses and all varieties of retail establishments.

Most surveys demonstrate that the biggest attraction in terms of the South-North traffic currently is people accessing cheaper produce and alcohol features largely in that shopping list. While this is only a small measure, it is an unfortunate one if people are to use it as the basis for further abuse in terms of what alcohol can do to individuals and families - that is not the intention, of that I have no doubt. The purpose of this measure is to try to stave off that exodus and to encourage people to shop locally, think locally and give support to their indigenous business within their respective communities. We have that interdependency. We depend on each other, no matter what walk of life we are involved in, be it in elected politics, business or whatever.

In my own home town of Monaghan in the weeks leading up to Christmas one can find prime car parking places on any of our main streets on the key shopping days of Friday and Saturday right up to the weekend gone by. This is having an enormously negative impact and the consequences are already in evidence in our community. This is replicated in all the Border counties and I believe it has impacted negatively even further South. I wish the Government's stimulus measure was far more progressive and much wider in its approach. The €136 million for job retention and job creation is a pathetic effort and pales into insignificance by comparison with the proposals we in Sinn Féin put forward in regard to investment in stimulus of the economy when we indicated that €3.7 billion was achievable and also necessary not only in order to sustain 100,000 existing jobs at risk but to create 100,000 further jobs in the coming 12 months.

I will support this measure because I accept it in good faith; it is not what I would wish to see as the sole response. We only argued for it on a temporary basis in terms of our pre-budget submission. What is essential is that we work towards a harmonisation of taxation across all its dimensions across this island and ultimately not to fear talking about the creation of a single currency approach going forward across the whole of the island. These are the major challenges. We cannot sustain two competing economies with two competing taxation rates and two currencies that of themselves are feeding into this negative impact that currently affects people south of the Border and that previously has affected people in business and jobs north of the Border. That wheel will turn again. It is in everybody's interest that we work towards a sustainable economy North and South that guarantees people in business the certainty of the future and those they employ.

In the context of all I have said and what has been mooted in terms of the Government measure, I record that I am willing to support this proposal at this point in time.

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