Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the chance to say a few words back on the issues raised, and also to identify some of the things I am working on with our own Department.

The commentary in general has been around the supports for business, which is important, but we also must bring the conversation on in the months ahead to new concepts and new ideas for the future of business. We are meeting with businesses and different sectors every day of the week to ask them to explore the options for new types of business, how to develop their sectors, how to support a growth strategy and moving away to reskilling. We can support all of that. As well as trying to protect what is there we must realise that some businesses will have to reinvent. We in Ireland have been very successful in that regard over the years. We need to be in that space in the months ahead.

I listened to many of the contributors to the debate tonight but I did not hear a lot of new initiatives coming forward. Deputy Conway-Walsh criticised and said that we are not comparing ourselves with other countries, but the Deputy did not give me an example.

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