Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

County Clare is a good example. Friends of mine live in Scarriff and Kilrush and these are examples I give the Minister of State of towns that are dying on their feet. Scarriff is down to a single main street retailer. The risk is that this will happen in every single Irish town, that we will be left with one multiple outlet. While these are good businesses, typically run by local families, and I do not doubt them, one cannot have a 19th century street with just one shop. What will we do with the rest of the street? It may mean putting families back into the centre, which might lead to a second shop opening because those families will walk to the shops rather than drive. That is the reality of what has happened. The Minister of State can point to the example of one project in Shannon but I can point to ten examples of towns in Clare which are dying on their feet. It is happening right across the country. A more proactive engagement on the part of the Government is required, not just with the fund under discussion, but by way of a range of policies to change the rates structure and help with rents for smaller businesses and local Irish retailers. They need support.

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