Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in the congratulations to Senator Kathryn Reilly and her committee on the production of the timely report Guaranteeing Our Future - a report on the need for a youth guarantee. The employment issue dovetails with a call this morning by Senator John Whelan for a debate with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on the revival and rejuvenation of town centres. Many small businesses are going to the wall and shedding high numbers of employees, many of whom are young people. The Senator is correct in that it is not an issue of rates alone. We must look at what we can do as a Government to help stimulate some activity in town centres.

He is correct when he says many tourists do not want to go to the larger supermarkets. They want to see the real Ireland in the towns and villages throughout the country. New businesses sprung up during the Celtic tiger era. Many of them went to the wall and will not return. New boutiques, cafes and venues for people to socialise were not sustainable but many long-standing small businesses are feeling the pinch. I met a businessman recently who closed a men's clothes shop after 18 years in business. It was in downtown Ballinasloe and he could not survive because the larger supermarkets had located on the edge of the town and all his customers were attracted there and away from the centre of town. This is a major issue and a debate with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government would be timely. This would give Members an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution as to how we might kick-start economic activity in small rural towns.