Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

People in the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's constituency of Donegal, the Minister's constituency of Cork North West and my constituency of Cork South West have a particular appreciation, as most people do, that, despite the availability of shops such as Argos, Amazon and IKEA, there is nothing akin to visiting a house or calling to see somebody and being given something home made when leaving, whether it be a pot of jam, a loaf of bread or a cake. It is this experience people the length and breadth of the country crave and they chase it by coming to these markets.

As the Minister outlined, I come from an area where there is a very strong and proud tradition of food production in the towns I have the honour to represent. That is why the markets are so popular in my area, as they are everywhere else and, as the Minister acknowledged, throughout the Continent. In fairness, Cork County Council acknowledges this and is making an effort. It is taking public submissions in setting new by-laws and regulations, but there is always a big health warning attached to regulations because there is a danger that we will overregulate the golden goose which is laying the egg and choke it out of existence. A very small producer of pots of jam could be wiped out by unnecessary bureaucracy. Therefore, we have to be very careful on this level. While I acknowledge the Minister's response and thank him for it and the existing funding, I ask him to accept the premise of what I am saying, that we need to move beyond giving assistance to the promotion of the markets. We need to provide proper infrastructure to take full advantage of this fantastic asset and the value they bring to those who use them, the traders who sell their produce and tourists, as well as of the social vibrancy generated in the heart of towns. We all pay lip service every day of the week to the issues we would like to address, including mental well-being. This would be a very practical step to take and I hope the Minister will support me in my endeavours.

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