Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his contribution to this debate on the ongoing work of the committee and his input into its report. The importance the Government is placing on the retail sector is reflected in the fact that there are 12 discrete actions in the 2015 Action Plan for Jobs designed to support recovery in the retail sector. They includes a commitment to review the recommendations made in the Oireachtas joint committee's report. Apart from these recommendations, public bodies have been progressing other recommendations in the Action Plan for Jobs relevant to the issue. The County and City Management Association recently published a series of best practice initiatives which are being taken by local authorities to support retail development at local level and which could serve as exemplars for other local authority areas.

The Deputy has referred to the local enterprise offices which are rolling out the trading online voucher scheme on behalf of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. I am delighted to be associated with the scheme because it is very effective. This week the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, the Taoiseach and I awarded the one thousandth online trading voucher to a company from Kilkenny. I had a very interesting conversation yesterday in connection with the award. We were in a shop in Dawson Street, a relatively new business, Kingsize, that is performing well in terms of online sales. We were struck by the fact that, to an extent, we had been missing a trick in this country in recent years in building an online trading presence for retailers. When a shop’s shutters go down at 6 p.m., the business can still operate and make money by retaining a presence online. The conversation in that regard really struck home with me. Such an approach makes money for businesses, keeps people in employment and adds jobs also.

When we awarded the one thousandth voucher, the Minister, Deputy Alex White, launched a report on the impact of the scheme to date. A survey of 225 companies that had received trading online vouchers showed there had been an average increase in sales of 21%, which is phenomenal. A total of 71% of the companies surveyed expected to take on staff to cover increased sales. The average number of new jobs is 1.4 per business in a sector that has been struggling in recent years for a variety of reasons. As the economic recovery accelerates and we put more money back into people’s pockets in terms of tax and USC reforms, we hope the performance of the retail sector will improve. This is an opportunity for retailers to gain a competitive advantage.

In the retail consultation forum we have also been looking at a host of other areas, for example, upskilling and career paths in the retail sector. There are career opportunities, but too few workers see the retail sector as a viable career option. We must professionalise the sector. We have a strong story to tell and are good at retailing in this country. I would like to see Ireland become a retail destination as that would provide opportunities for us.

Reference was made to the living city initiative in the context of trying to bring people back into city and town centres. That could improve the position in terms of encouraging over-the-shop living. We want town and city centres to become 24-7 spaces, not simply spaces where people go to work and shop between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day but vibrant, dynamic places with vibrant and dynamic communities. Some of the changes the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, wishes to introduce for vacant sites will also help. The pilot initiative introduced by the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, for rural economic development zones, REDZ, schemes could also help local authorities to revitalise rural towns and villages, in particular.

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