Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The question tabled by the Deputy concerned the wholesale and retail sectors and I am confident that, through a process of consultation involving all the stakeholders, thorough engagement and giving effect to many initiatives that arise from the retail consultation forum, we can work towards increasing the number of people employed in the retail sector. We wholeheartedly acknowledge that, year-on-year between 2013 and 2014, there has been a drop of 5,900 in the number of people employed in the sectors. We must do something to address that decline and the decline of our towns through the doughnut effect. The Deputy referred to the retailers he is meeting and the level of confidence. Through engaging with those retailers and their representative organisations, we can arrest the decline. I am confident that, once the process starts on 9 June, we will take action.

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