Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I know that as a member of the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Kyne has a genuine interest in seeing a recovery in the retail sector and has made a strong contribution in that policy area.

The retail sector is an important part of the social fabric of both rural and urban areas. The retail and wholesale sector employs more than 270,000 people and constitutes the largest sector of private employment in this country. It also indirectly supports jobs in sectors such as logistics and distribution and provides an important outlet for Irish products and produce. The wholesale and retail sector combined suffered losses of more than 45,000 jobs in the period between 2008 and 2012. In spite of employment growth in the economy generally in the past two years, employment growth in the wholesale and retail sector has been sluggish and somewhat inconsistent. A key objective of the retail consultation forum, which I chair, is to establish how industry and Government can work together to support the recovery of jobs in the sector.

As chair of the forum, I very much welcomed the report published by the committee in March. One of the key issues raised with me by retailers, as chairman of the forum, was the need to focus on actions that can be taken to support retail in town centres around the country. A number of different Departments and agencies and local authorities across the country are directly responsible for this area. We want to work closely with all of the stakeholders to ensure we can advance practical policy measures to effect real change in our town centres.

Shortly after publication of the report I convened a special meeting of the retail consultation forum on 27 April to discuss it. I invited Senator Feargal Quinn, a member of the committee, to address the meeting to highlight the main elements of the report. There are 15 recommendations in the Oireachtas committee's report which covers a wide range of issues. Our objective in the retail forum was to identify the recommendations considered most feasible for delivery, whether from within the public sector or by the private sector. On the basis of our discussions, the recommendations in the committee's report identified by the forum as holding particular potential for action centred on, for example, developing training for retailers in online sales and social media and highlighting the increased cost of bank charges and other administrative burdens on retailers. These issues were raised directly with me when I visited Galway recently with my colleague, Deputy Derek Nolan. I discussed them with retailers at the invitation of my colleague. Another recommendation was to explore how retailers might get improved deals from energy providers, for example, as is the case in the hotels industry, and the identification of towns that might be suitable for a pilot approach to the town teams model referenced in the committee's report and also by Deputy Seán Kyne. These and other recommendations for implementation will be considered further by the forum in the autumn. We are in the process of nuancing it.

I am strongly of the view that a collaborative approach on the part of retailers is the most effective way to implement some of the recommendations made in the report. My Department will be happy to continue to support and assist retail bodies in whatever way it can, including, potentially, through the setting up of working groups within the retail consultation forum if we consider it appropriate to drive forward some of the recommendations.

As part of the eight regional Action Plan for Jobs strategies the Government has introduced this year, Enterprise Ireland is accepting proposals under a new community enterprise initiatives fund. Retail bodies might be interested in exploring opportunities to support the recovery of town centre retailing. Some retail bodies are very interested in pursuing potential funding through this stream. I believe the Deputy is aware of the full details of the call for proposals. The closing date for receipt of applications under the scheme is 10 July.

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