Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber.

The Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation launched a report in March of this year entitled "Policy Options to Support Business Growth and Job Creation in Town and Village Centres." I commend the chair of the committee, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, the vice-chairman, Deputy John Lyons and all the members of the committee, across the parties, who engaged in the process and produced the report.

The committee heard evidence and received submissions on a wide range of issues to do with improving the conditions for businesses to thrive in town and village centres. These included issues such as rates and supports for businesses. Some four recommendations were made surrounding rate reform, reductions, upward only rent review and grant relief schemes. For example, one of the old chestnuts concerns the ability to vary rates for small corner shops rather than the local authorities having to reduce the rates for all businesses such as big out of town retailers or multiples. Unfortunately, this has not happened in the past four years.

In regard to online sales and digital hubs, the committee made two recommendations, namely, to expand the Government trading online voucher scheme, which has been deemed successful and that LEOs work with chambers of commerce etc. re online sales. Up to €6 billion is spent by Irish consumers on online sales per year, but only one third or less of this goes to Irish retailers. Only 23% of Irish companies engage in online sales.

In regard to business costs, there were two recommendations. These were to continue discussion between Government and banks re charges being levied and a co-ordinated campaign between Government and industry bodies to switch energy providers and provide a platform to allow businesses compare prices more easily. On promotion and marketing, we had one recommendation relating to tourism, that Tourism Ireland strongly market our towns and cities as shopping destinations. In regard to making town centres better places to visit, there were two recommendations, namely, the roll-out of town teams and the roll-out of the business improvement district model. On the high street innovation fund, the recommendation was to provide funding to local authorities to rejuvenate and regenerate our town centres. On car parking, a bugbear of many retailers, the recommendation is to provide free parking for several hours per day and to combat the over zealous issuing of parking tickets by our local authorities.

In regard to crime and safety, we recommend a strategic policing operation in urban centres to provide a safer shopping environment and higher visibility policing in conjunction with town teams and other stakeholders. I ask that these recommendations be acted upon by Government agencies and urge that the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, play a role in this. I commend its successful jobs action plan which has been rolled out over a number of years and urge that these initiatives be part of the 2016 jobs action plan. Before that comes into play, I urge the Department to engage on them. The recommendations should be acted on and the initiatives rolled out. The report should not be left on a shelf because it has some excellent recommendations.

The bigger picture here is that the population trends in this country are to Dublin and the east. The greater Dublin area accounts for approximately one third of the population and up to 50% of the population lives in Leinster. We need regional balance. In the west, in my constituency, for example, significant money is being spent currently, including €500 million on a new motorway - the M17/M18. This is welcome and will improve access to the area. We know the Government has a plan in regard to broadband and that this should go to tender at the end of the year to improve access. Both of these projects will include mobility and ease of movement for businesses, enabling growth in the regional areas. We need regional balance and we need to provide growth within our towns and incentives for job creation.

See this speech in context