Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his response. As he said during his contribution, it is important he recognises there is unfairness within the marketplace at the moment. Is it is possible to get further detail from the Minister's office on the legislative proposal that will be published next year? It is important we work with our EU market. This is essentially about fairness. We are talking about small and medium-sized businesses in Ireland that have a competitive disadvantage in relation to other businesses across the world. Obviously, we are heading into the Christmas period. More people spend money during this time of year, whether it is online for Irish companies or abroad. That disadvantage is increasing year on year.

While it is welcome that something will be published next year and we will work with the EU, it is vital for businesses across our country, particularly small businesses, that fairness is put in place as quickly as possible. I ask the Minister of State and the Department to prioritise this. We had a budget a number of weeks ago that was, essentially, focused on retaining and supporting local businesses. This is another element where we can play our part to support them.