Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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943. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment whether additional steps are planned to tackle rising levels of retail crime, as outlined in the programme for Government, including any co-ordination with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43342/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Retail and other small businesses continue to be the backbone of our local and national economies, and we are working to ensure actions aimed at supporting small businesses, including retail businesses, are implemented in an effective and timely manner.

The Government fully recognises the significant harm caused by retail crime, which not only impacts retailers but also has broader consequences for local communities and the national economy.

Issues in relation to crime generally are a matter for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. However, in May, as Chair of the Retail Forum, I, alongside with my colleague Minister O’Callaghan, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (DJHAM) convened a meeting on retail crime attended by members of the Retail Forum.

At this meeting, we asked Forum members to share their experiences of retail crime and its impact on their businesses, and staff and customers, to help inform the ongoing development of a new Retail Crime Strategy. My Department will continue to collaborate with DJHAM as this Strategy is developed.