Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, to the House. The Minister of State will make a contribution for ten minutes, group spokespersons for seven minutes and the Minister of State to reply at the of the debate. I call the Minister of State.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Members of the House for the opportunity to attend today to discuss the important work programme of the Department. I will speak about a matter of profound importance to our economy, communities and national resilience, which is the future of Ireland's small businesses and the retail sector. I will apprise the House of the work undertaken to ensure maximum possible resilience is afforded to Ireland's small businesses and the retail sector.

As many Members already know, small and medium businesses are the cornerstone of our cities, towns and villages and the lifeblood of local economies. They employ over 69% of our workforce and represent over 99% of all active enterprises. The programme for Government recognises the importance of small businesses and retail and actively supports small businesses through a wide range of targeted interventions aimed at fostering growth, innovation and resilience. This includes a target to create 300,000 extra jobs by 2030 supported by strategic investment, supportive enterprise policies and a focus on fostering a vibrant economy. It recognises that our small business enterprises are the backbone of our economy and must be supported to adapt to new conditions, innovate their offerings and grow.

Last year, the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, launched the second updated report on the White Paper on enterprise implementation plan. This White Paper sets Ireland on a clear and ambitious path towards achieving a thriving, sustainable and resilient economy. It recognises both the challenges and opportunities for Irish enterprises in the coming years and what needs to be done to prepare them for the future. Of the 40 key initiatives identified across several policy priorities, there is a clear focus on measures designed to help small businesses and retail to navigate future challenges and opportunities, particularly in the areas of the green and digital transitions.

In May, the Minister announced the establishment of a dedicated small business unit based in the Department. This unit will give small businesses a dedicated focus in the Government and keep this agenda front and centre in our Department's priorities. The new unit will also ensure local enterprise offices continue to be properly resourced to help small businesses thrive. LEOs play an important role at local level as part of supportive ecosystems by providing services directly to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities. LEOs are the first stop for every small business, providing a range of training supports and information plus referrals to other relevant bodies. The White Paper on enterprise notes the significant role LEOs play in strengthening and ensuring our enterprise ecosystem across Ireland. It is a supporting mechanism. SMEs can be allowed and afforded the opportunity to prosper in all regions. This includes increasing the scope of firms eligible for LEO supports as well as increasing the depth of existing services provided to ensure the appropriate skills programme, enterprise supports and business advisory services are made available to assist as many Irish businesses as possible.The strategic framework outlined in the White Paper is specifically designed to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of small businesses and the retail sector in Ireland. In 2024, my Department published the Local Enterprise Offices Policy Statement 2024-2030 to mark the tenth anniversary of the formation of the LEOs. This statement celebrated the LEOs' achievements over the previous decade. It also highlighted the key areas in which they need to improve. The policy statement also outlined an agreed approach on how the work of the LEOs can be adapted to contribute to the implementation of five of the priorities in the White Paper on Enterprise, namely focusing on decarbonisation, digitalisation, increasing exports and enabling the local traded sector to thrive and stepping up enterprise innovation.

The small business unit is focused on rigorous implementation of the SME test to ensure that the perspectives of small businesses are considered across government before new legislation or regulation is introduced. The SME test is designed to invite consideration of less stringent compliance requirements for smaller companies where appropriate and proportionate. These actions are about reducing red tape and improving efficiency. However, they are also about making supports more accessible to businesses across the country. The SME test will also help to ensure that any obligations that increase business costs are phased in and that there will be consideration of the broader implications of any decision affecting businesses across government. The small business unit will also oversee the simplification of information and access to grants and supports for businesses through the national enterprise hub. The service provided by the hub is open to all businesses in Ireland, and helps them to navigate and find the right Government supports for their businesses. The hub brings together information and resources on over 250 Government supports from 32 Departments and State agencies which can be accessed through its online portal.

Business owners are also in contact with the team and can speak directly with advisers on phone email or via live chat. These advisers help to diagnose the needs of the individual businesses, directing them to the appropriate supports available and putting them in direct contact with the relevant agencies. The national enterprise hub also makes it easier to access Government supports on managing the costs of doing business, developing sustainability plans and enhancing productivity and efficiency, while also adopting new digital technology and ensuring new export markets. Since launching last year, the national enterprise hub has dealt with over 7,500 inquiries. It has more than 220,000 active online users, with volumes tracked each month and growing steadily since its introduction.

The Department is also working on how we can improve the national enterprise hub further by putting a greater emphasis on the simplification of processes for businesses. Since the unit was established, significant progress has been made in simplifying the application processes for enterprise grants, particularly those administered through the LEOs and Enterprise Ireland. Following instruction from my Department through the small business unit, the Enterprise Ireland LEO centre of excellence has completed a comprehensive review of application requirements for each of the LEO grants. This has resulted in an average reduction of 23% in the number of questions being posed in grant applications. Work has also commenced on merging the application process for the digital business and green for business consultancies with the respective follow-on grants, namely the grow digital and the energy efficiency grant. This will result in businesses avoiding unnecessarily providing the same information on multiple occasions. Work on this simplification agenda will continue.

Enterprise Ireland is also driving progress through a programme of work that includes two major initiatives. First, a service delivery transformation programme will introduce a new operating model with technological and data capabilities to drive the delivery of service excellence. In addition, the start-up entrepreneur programme, STEP, will deliver a better start-up journey for start-ups and entrepreneurs by strengthening ecosystem co-ordination while also enhancing national and international connectivity. Successful implementation of these work programmes will simplify and remove unnecessary administrative burdens, enhancing the competitiveness of Irish businesses, particularly small and microenterprises.

With critical segments of our economy undergoing significant transformation, delivering public service excellence is critical in supporting Enterprise Ireland's long-term ambition regarding the export potential of Irish companies becoming the primary driver for our economy and simplifying enterprise grant applications will be a key part of this.

My Government colleagues and I recognise the serious challenges faced by local traders and the hospitality sector. Due to rising costs and other factors, we made a commitment in the programme for Government to bringing forward measures to support SMEs, particularly in the vulnerable sectors like retail and hospitality. In 2024, over €400 million was paid out to SMEs under the power-up and the increased cost of business, ICOB, grants. These grants were designed to help businesses with increased costs associated with running their business. In July, a reclassification appeals process was opened for businesses which misclassified their business supports when applying for the ICOB grant and the power-up grant.

We also regularly engage with retailers and representative bodies, including the enterprise forum and the retail forum, which I chair. These forums allow us to engage on key issues that are relevant to their sectors. One of the issues frequently discussed is that of retail crime. The programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a retail crime strategy which targets actions to reduce retail crime but also supports effective businesses. Building the resilience of Ireland's small business and retail sector is essential in safeguarding Ireland's economic stability and vitality for our communities. These enterprises are the backbone of our local economies and provide vital employment and sustain our town centres in many areas. Strengthening their ability to withstand economic shocks, adapt to technology change and embrace sustainability are really important to ensure we grow to become more competitive in an uncertain global environment. My Department and my colleagues in government will continue to work to ensure that our businesses are fully supported.

Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to discuss this very important issue. Small businesses and retailers are the very heart, as he said, of our economy. They make up the majority of the businesses in our country, employing two thirds of our workforce. As the Minister of State mentioned, they are the lifeblood and part of the fabric of our towns and communities. they hold everything together.

The headline or overarching message here today is resilience. If we consider what our SMEs have done in the past 15 or 20 years, I do not believe there is an example of a more resilient community anywhere. They managed through the downturn and dealt with Brexit and Covid-19. Many of them are still standing and deserve massive credit for that. I come from a small, rural, family business. I am struck by how dynamic our small business sector is and how people within it can react so quickly and implement things that are necessary for them to survive. If we consider the system here in Leinster House, it is a much bigger juggernaut in the context of actually making changes that will have an impact for those SMEs.

The Minister of State spent a little more than ten minutes talking about all the positive things that have been implemented. I commend the Department on them. I am very impressed with the national enterprise hub. It is a one-stop shop for the SME sector to access all the resources and all of the available supports and grants in one place. It is such a simple idea, it seems mad to think it had not been introduced before. I commend the Department on it in any event. Since its launch, the hub has directly assisted 6,500 SMEs and attracted more than 220,000 users, helping to cut through red tape and ensuring that more companies benefit from the wide range of supports available to them.It is important how that is worded. It is about cutting through red tape and making supports available. The supports are there for many of these businesses but many SMEs would need to take on a consultant to access and find the relevant supports for what they are trying to achieve. I commend that initiative.

The Minister of State commended the local enterprise offices and I am sure everyone who stands up today will acknowledge the great work of those offices. They are supported now by the national enterprise hub. Through our enterprise offices, we can scale up supports and help small businesses digitise, decarbonise and expand into new markets. By 2029, the aim is to have 1,700 more Irish exporters, with small firms playing a leading role in achieving that. I welcome what the Minister of State said about the target of 300,000 extra jobs in that sector.

There are lots of things happening. The Minister of State mentioned the €400 million paid out to the sector in the increased cost of business grant over the past 12 months. The Power Up grant has been extended for people who had miscategorised themselves in the initial round. That was called for in this House so I welcome that.

The next phase will be supporting businesses into new revenue streams and helping them change so we are able to meet our national targets. I like the sound of the clean export guarantee tariff and trying to support our businesses with that. At the moment, SMEs can get up to 60% funding for solar panels and sustainable initiatives, but it is predominantly for their own use rather than for the export tariff. If they plan to produce more energy, they are not able to get the grants for it. We need to support small businesses in tapping into this area and it will benefit us as a country because it will help us hit our climate action targets. The key is energy independence and additional revenue streams to support our businesses. That is not just SMEs and retail. It will also benefit our farming community.

I hope next week we will have word on the reduced VAT rate, on which this House has had extensive discussions. Every Member of this House will have met numerous representative bodies from that sector. In a time of constant cost increases hitting the sector, this is an important measure which will ensure the sustainability and survival of many businesses in the sector. We all wait with bated breath to see what happens on Tuesday. It is important for the survival of rural businesses in particular. I am not so supportive of it hitting the big multinationals that have numerous branches throughout the country. I would love a targeted measure to be introduced. If that cannot be introduced and the system is too rigid to do something like that, we need to look at small coffee shops and the food and hospitality sector. The vast majority of visitors come to this country and, having visited numerous places, what they bring away with them is the people they met and the service they experienced in these sectors.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, to the Chamber. Fianna Fáil believes in the vibrancy of the SME sector. It is critical to Ireland's future economic success. With 99.8% of all businesses in Ireland being classified as SMEs, it is essential for the overall health of the economy that we do as much as possible at all times to support their continued growth and development. As I have often stated in this House, they are the backbone of the Irish economy and are particularly important in towns and villages across the country where the local shop, restaurant or bar is one of the few employers in the area. These jobs are very unlikely to be replaced if the business is no longer viable. That is why it is important Government continues to support such businesses. We hear so often about multinationals and our efforts to attract and retain them, as we should, given their importance. However, it is also important to remember that two thirds of the working population in the private sector is employed by SMEs.

There is a significant challenge in the retail sector in relation to online giants, with more and more people doing their shopping from home. It can be especially challenging for SMEs to have a competitive digital presence. The trading online voucher scheme has been a significant help. It has assisted many small businesses in Galway that use the scheme and I know it has made a meaningful impact for them. We should look at strengthening the scheme further, perhaps allowing for a second round of funding after a number of years, which would enable businesses to update their digital presence or maybe allowing the businesses to advertise. Having a digital presence only helps if people are aware it exists. It is a positive scheme and I would like to see it enhanced any way we can.

There are a number of other supports for the retail sector, including the energy efficiency grant, which now offers grant assistance up to a maximum of €10,000, and the grow digital voucher, which offers up to €5,000. These are important and needed supports.

The other major challenge facing retail is retail crime. It costs the sector around €1.6 billion every year. It has been estimated that retail theft costs a medium-sized grocery store up to €100,000 each year. These are astounding figures and this harms us all because retailers have to increase their prices to make up for this loss. The programme for Government commits to publishing a retail crime strategy with targeted actions to reduce retail crime and support affected businesses. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has commenced preparation of the strategy. Given the figures above, this is clearly hugely important. I know there have to be consultations, which will take some time, but I hope the Department will be able to prioritise this and complete it as soon as possible, given the urgent need. The programme for Government makes a number of other commitments in relation to tackling the scourge, which are ongoing. It is to be hoped all this combined work will put a dent in the issue in the coming years.

The programme for Government committed to bringing forward measures to support SMEs, in particular the retail and hospitality sectors, acknowledging the increased cost pressures on the sectors. I expect to see this in budget 2026. As I have said previously, we need a scheme to support our pubs in particular. I believe we are all familiar with the figures over the past 20 years. Two thousand pubs across the country have closed their doors. Outside of Dublin, the number of pubs in Ireland has fallen by 25% in that period. Without support for pubs in budget 2026, there is no doubt the rate of closures will accelerate, resulting in the loss of excise revenue, damage to communities across the country and our tourism offering being significantly weakened.

Members will recall that I previously offered the example of France, where so many rural bars closed that the Government is now offering incentives to revive them, recognising their cultural and economic value. Without Government intervention, we in Ireland are on the same path. Ireland has the second highest excise rate on alcohol in Europe, with taxes accounting for almost 30% of the price of a pint. That is simply no longer sustainable and has not been for some time, as the closures every year reflect. I hope budget 2026 will address and support this vital industry.

The establishment of the small business unit in the Department of enterprise was a welcome and positive measure. I hope the unit will ensure the Department is consistently mindful of SMEs when making policy. It is a welcome sign that SMEs will be prioritised by this Government.The SME test that will be implemented by this unit and that will consider the impact on SMEs before new legislation or regulations are introduced is a much-needed initiative. It will locate SMEs as a much more important part of policymaking, rightfully recognising the enormous contribution they make to the Irish economy.

There have been some positive developments in the context of what the Government does to support SMEs throughout the country during its first year in office. However, there is, of course, more we can and should do. Debates like this are really valuable for pursing that goal. I hope we can continue to have such debates on a regular basis.

Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here and welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. SMEs are the backbone of our economy. Across the island, more than 1.45 million people are employed by SMEs. That is far more than the number employed by FDI enterprises. That is a staggering number. It proves what most of us already know instinctively, namely that SMEs are the lifeblood of our communities, the drivers of employment and the foundation of economic resilience. Shops, cafés, builders, family firms, pharmacies, hairdressers and small manufacturers are the businesses that sponsor local GAA clubs, that buy tickets for parish fundraisers, that donate spot prizes, that take on apprentices and that give young people their first jobs. I can name countless examples, from small butchers and bakers in Millstreet and Macroom to the independent retailers in Newmarket and Kanturk. They are interwoven into the fabric of our towns and villages. Too often, however, these businesses are hanging on by a thread.

One of the greatest and most persistent burdens is insurance. Public liability and employers' liability insurance premiums have soared by 56% in the past ten years. This is at a time when the sector's loss ratio, that is, the amount of money actually being spent on paying claims has fallen dramatically, from around 80% to just 53%. In plain terms, that means businesses are paying more while insurance companies are paying out less and have pocketed double-digit profits three years in a row. The Government has tinkered with reforms in this area, but the benefit of those reforms has not been passed on. When Sinn Féin put forward a Bill that would require insurance companies to demonstrate to the Central Bank that they are lowering premiums to reflect the reforms, the Government refused to accept it.

Another persistent obstacle is access to affordable credit. SMEs want to expand or modernise or simply need capital, yet in 2024 we saw no growth in the level of SME bank debt. Banks are either pulling out of the market or refusing risk. The departure of Ulster Bank and KBC has only worsened the squeeze. A recent IBEC survey found that 63% of SMEs find the application process for loans overly complex and lengthy. Too often, small businesses simply do not have the time, expertise or digital know-how to navigate the automated process. The days of the local bank manager who understood your business, your community and your challenges are gone, and with them a lifeline of support. We cannot talk about resilience if SMEs are locked out of affordable finance.

Students are a fantastic lifeline for many small rural businesses. The issue we have in rural areas is that students can only work so many hours. If they work over that threshold, they lose their grants. It is a catch-22 situation for many of these businesses. Workers are the greatest asset of any SME. Protecting them is not at odds with productivity, it actually strengthens it. The Government has promised a living wage but we are still waiting for a clear timeline in that regard. It continues to defend some minimal youth rates of pay which punish young workers for their age and do not reward their work. The programme for Government contains a commitment to publish an action plan on collective bargaining required under the EU directive on adequate minimum wage by the end of this year. It is now October, however, and we still have not seen any sign of it. If we are serious about resilience, we must be serious about fair pay for people, collective bargaining and workers' rights. Anything short of that is not acceptable.

I want to turn briefly to the potential of an all-island economy. Cross-Border trade has more than doubled in the past decade, from €5.5 billion in 2011 to €12.4 billion in 2023. This trajectory is proof of what can be achieved when barriers are lowered and businesses work together. However, that is only a fraction of the potential. Imagine what could be achieved if agriculture, tourism, the green economy and creative industries had a unified institutional framework. Belfast is home to the island's only deep-water port. A deep-water port is essential for offshore renewables. Mid-Ulster is a global hub for manufacturing. The North has world-class universities and a young ambitious workforce. Together with automatic re-entry to EU on unity happening, we would not only grow resilience but transform it. Yet, the Government still refuses to plan, prepare or even acknowledge the economic case for constitutional change. That is a missed opportunity, not just politically but also economically.

We cannot talk about SME resilience without referring to infrastructure. SMEs cannot grow where there is no housing for their staff, no reliable water for their operations, no broadband to sell their products online and no transport links to bring customers through the door. IBEC has warned repeatedly that Ireland needs a clear strategic vision and timely delivery on infrastructure, innovation and skills. Yet, delays and failures in delivery are undermining our businesses every single day.

Resilience is not just a buzzword. It is about whether the café in Macroom keeps its doors open, whether the pharmacy in Millstreet can hire another assistant or whether a small engineering firm in Cork can expand and export. SMEs have proven time and again that they are innovative, adaptive and rooted in our communities. Resilience cannot be built on the backs of small businesses alone. It requires the Government's willingness to stand up to insurance companies, reform access to credit, strengthen workers' rights, plan for constitutional change and deliver the infrastructure we need. That is how we build resilience. That is how we secure the future of our small businesses and our retail sector.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senators Scahill, Crowe and Ryan for their valuable contributions. It is great for me to be here in the Seanad to discuss our departmental work across government but also to outline how we can continue to support and build resilience within our SMEs and retail sector. I appreciate the valuable contributions and the matters raised.

Our Department plays a crucial role along with other Government agencies in supporting our SMEs, our retail sector and local trade enterprises. As many have said, they are the backbone of our urban and rural economy and account for over 69% of all employment throughout the country. The programme for Government is clear. It is focused on being pro-enterprise and pro-business, and we have certainly provided a wide-ranging level of supports for small businesses through targeted initiatives and also by ensuring we can foster growth, innovation and resilience.

I spoke earlier in regard to some of the key areas within our Department that are central to this. Senator Scahill talked about the importance of the national enterprise hub. As stated, that has provided huge assistance with over 7,500 queries. It provides support in one focal area, a one-stop shop to more than 250 Government supports, including grants, loans and training. That is ably assisted by advisers, on-call assistants, live chat and agencies that are supported by Enterprise Ireland through our local enterprise offices. That was referenced by many Senators here. It provides a real starting point and a focal point with a local reach. That is vitally important because we all know the head of economic development within our local authorities. We all know the advisers and expertise who have that reach within our towns and villages and provide that assistance if businesses want to expand or to engage in a digital transformation or look at sustainability projects

. We will get into more detail in regard to energy efficiencies and how we can drive down the cost of doing business for many of these businesses who do not have the bandwidth within their businesses to have a HR function, where many decisions are made around the kitchen table. It is our role and that of the LEOs and the national enterprise hub to provide support, consultation and advice.

Looking at specific schemes we have implemented, last year record supports of more than €400 million were provided by means of the power-up and ICOB grants.At a time when inflation was riding high, the cost of doing business was increased and we got direct supports into businesses to support their cash flow but also to help them on their sustainability journey. The fact we have established the small business unit within our Department is a clear demonstration that we want to provide additional focus to small businesses and ensure the voices of these businesses are heard across government in policy and regulation.

We have set up the cost of business advisory forum. That is very focused on tackling costs head-on. We will have co-ordinated action and targeted relief. Across this forum we have representative bodies and organisations from sectors such as agriculture, retail, advanced manufacturing and agri-tech. They are all present and it is an open invitation for our small businesses to engage with regulators and key agencies. Various themes have been discussed within the cost of business advisory forum. Senator Nicole Ryan talked about insurance. That is a key area of focus, in terms of how we can drive down the cost of insurance for businesses. The Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, are very focused, along with the Department of enterprise, through the action plan on insurance reform to implement significant reductions in the cost of insurance. Legal costs are also a barrier for many businesses. We must look at the cost of utilities such as water and energy, and even the challenges around planning and compliance. It is very focused across various themes. Three meetings have occurred so far. It is chaired independently by Kevin Foley, an experienced chair who spent many years working on dispute resolution at the Labour Court. We are very focused on ensuring we can target measures from the grassroots up, and that the policy from the top down is effective.

The SME test which was previously raised here is a key focus for me and the Minister, Deputy Burke, because we understand many businesses have been on the receiving end of policy or legislation that may have been introduced but that has had unintended consequences and may have disproportionately affected specific sectors. We want to avoid not having that visibility within Government and across different agencies. The SME test has been an important position for the Government to take. It will certainly ensure any proposed legislation going forward is assessed on the basis of whether its implementation or costs will be prohibitive for the business itself. We have had many cases that have been impacted to date. I am sure they have been raised here. We want to make that process a bit better.

Around simplification, people talk about ensuring our grant application forms are lighter and faster for a lot of businesses. We have made a serious effort to look at how we can streamline the local enterprise office grant system. People talked about the grow digital scheme and the energy efficiency scheme. We have reduced the number of questions on each of those application forms by over 10%. That is a very important exercise to make things a lot quicker. There is also the fact that applicants do not have to provide duplication of their information for subsequent applications.

We are continuing to evolve and expand the National Enterprise Hub to incorporate more supports and more assistance. Many Senators look at other key agencies like Fáilte Ireland, which supports our hospitality and tourism sector. It has its own independent business support hub. We want that to have a reach for small businesses and those that qualify. We are actively engaging with the local enterprise offices and Fáilte Ireland to explore opportunities for greater alignment to support small businesses and micro-tourism businesses in order that we have a collaborative approach whereby both are intertwined and duplication is reduced.

Energy efficiency grants were mentioned in the context of the Green for Businesses initiative. We want greater alignment with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, grants. The SEAI does a lot of work in that regard. We have initiated work in that regard and it will continue.

This is about building capacity within our local enterprise network and ensuring that services meet the needs of our clients. We want to ensure local enterprise offices are proactive in engaging with businesses and it is not the case that businesses always have to make the first reach. My local enterprise office in Mayo has a Mayo ideas week. It is an opportunity over a two-week period for businesses to come, listen, engage and network. That peer-to-peer learning is very important also. Businesses can learn from others on how to access different schemes and different grants to support their business, but also to build resilience. It might be energy efficiency or digital transformation. We want to give that capability to local enterprise offices in doing that, as well as working with the Enterprise Ireland LEO centre of excellence. I will be engaging with the new CEO, Jenny Melia, with regard to my ideas on how we can build even greater capacity around digital transformation and energy efficiency.

I want to focus on the important strategy around accelerating the uptake of digital technology. Senator Crowe talked about the grow digital voucher scheme and how important that has been. The previous version of that was the trading online voucher scheme. Many of these platforms now need visibility in the online space to compete with many other retailers who do not have that footfall in their high streets or local villages and shops. Key to that is ensuring the adoption of AI, but also ensuring we can build resilience in our retail sector for indigenous Irish businesses that want a platform and want to have customers in all parts of the world - in Europe, America and Asia. We are very cognisant of that. I am engaging with Department officials on how we can expand these types of vouchers for these types of SMEs that have ambition to grow and to scale.

Regarding the action plan on competitiveness, we talked previously about commitments from the Government around measures to support employees. We have certainly made significant strides to protect workers. We have honoured any pay increases through the Low Pay Commission and any of its recommendations. We have seen workers being protected through the introduction of statutory sick leave, and we now have the auto-enrolment pensions. A lot of work has been done in the last number of years to protect workers and we will continue to do that while ensuring we strike the right balance with businesses that may be feeling challenges around costs because every additional measure we implement has a cost. The action plan on competitiveness and productivity has been central to that, with focused short- and long-term measures. We will continue to examine issues around regulatory burden, planning infrastructure delivery, water costs and reporting and compliance.

I again thank everyone for their contributions today. I thank them for being here on a Thursday afternoon and for their commitment to the SME sector and our indigenous Irish enterprises throughout their localities and regions. I hope today was informative in highlighting the areas of work and the steps we are taking to increase the visibility for Irish businesses and ensure they can grow and scale into the future.