Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. I understood we were on parallel tracks. The Senator asked whether the legislation applied to pubs and restaurants, and I can confirm that it does not.

I thank Senator Landy for his comments. He has strong views on towns and on levelling the playing field. He asked whether the legislation was retrospective, but I confirm that there is no question of retrospection. As he said, we have a duty to assist towns.

It is national policy to support the vitality of towns and increase their vibrancy by improving town centres. There has been significant investment in shop frontage, paving and piping in towns. The multiplicity of out-of-town centres is a setback to towns from Letterkenny to Wexford, and is a case of bad planning during the so-called Celtic tiger era. Senator Barrett gave examples of the towns that have suffered and made some interesting points about long-term parking in towns. As he said, a regime would have to be devised to overcome the issue of people leaving their cars parked in town free of charge for the day. Unfortunately, as he highlighted, many of our towns have a down-at-heel look. Senator White is correct in stating that many of our towns are decimated, and I agree with her on the need to concentrate on creating employment to ensure the viability of our towns. Senator Keane referred to Tallaght, which may be considered a satellite of Dublin but is respected as a town in its own right and has its own town centre. Senator Ó Clochartaigh spoke about how bad business is in many of the towns of County Galway. He suggests that valuations should be based on the profitability of the business, but as we know there are ways of hiding profitability. I do not think that would be a fair way to proceed. As I said already, only properties that are not rated are involved.

In response to the point made by Senator Kelly, as I see it, multinationals will face obstacles only in the planning policy applicable to the area in which they want to locate.

I am open to the Bill's being amended. Members can introduce amendments on Committee Stage. I am very grateful to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, for stating that he will not oppose the Bill. As he said, he is as committed as we are to providing a level playing field for town centres and out-of-town retail parks. I thank the Ministers of State, Deputy McGinley and Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, for their presence in the Chamber.