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

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for the question. The Government and we as a Department recognise that domestically traded sectors account for a significant number of firms in Ireland and, more importantly, for a high proportion of employment across retail, construction, accommodation and food, play and leisure and many other sectors also. They contribute to the economic and social fabric of towns and villages across Ireland and every region and help us create jobs in all of these areas.

As highlighted during the pandemic, these sectors also provide vital services and ensure the supply of essential products and services and as a Government we want to reach out and support as many as we can. Government policy has ensured a competitive business environment for all firms based on a world-class economic infrastructure; a competitive tax regime that supports start-ups, scaling and investment; and strong institutions that provide access to skills and research and development.

On direct interventions, the local enterprise offices, LEOs, provide various training and consultancy programmes to small businesses, as well as acting as a "first stop shop" or signposting for all firms to find out about resources and programmes available from Government Departments and agencies, such as Revenue, Microfinance Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, the LEADER programme, Enterprise Ireland, Skillnet, education and training boards, ETBs, and many others also.

Over the past number of years, the Government has responded quickly and effectively through these existing State bodies to the challenges faced by domestically-focused firms, whether it is access to finance, supporting firms through Covid-19 or helping firms to navigate the twin transitions of climate action and digitalisation, as well as dealing with the pressures coming from the war in Ukraine.

The forthcoming White Paper on enterprise, which will outline the medium-term strategic direction of enterprise policy, will set out how we can leverage these structures further to improve the overall productivity of this important sector of the economy. We will look towards having that paper published before the end of the year. In this important sector, the local enterprise offices have dramatically expanded their reach over the past number of years. I also have engaged directly with them right throughout the country to see how we can enhance that and increase those limits even further again. They have a new relationship now with many more sectors that they would not have had in the past and we will certainly continue to build on that.

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