Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department has undertaken any recent analysis of the challenges and future prospects for the retail sector in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61548/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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While my Department has not undertaken any specific economic assessment focused solely on the challenges and prospects for the Irish retail sector in 2025, the Government is actively and continuously monitoring trends affecting the sector. This includes tracking company registration and liquidation data, as well as broader economic and sectoral indicators.

Between January and May 2025, there were 74 liquidations in the retail sector, a 45% increase compared to the same period in 2024. However, only a portion of these closures were due to insolvencies, as there were 51 solvent liquidations during this time. It is also important to note that this has not occurred in isolation. 276 new retail businesses were registered during the same period, meaning that there has been a net increase in the number of these firms.

According to the latest CSO data, employment in the sector has expanded, increasing from just under 320,000 in Q2 2024 to just under 327,000 in Q2 2025, an increase of just over 2%. The Retail Sales Index shows a 3.5% increase in sales volumes in September 2025 compared to the same month in 2024. Card spending has also risen, with figures from the Central Bank of Ireland indicating an increase from just under €3.6 billion in September 2024 to just over €3.8 billion in September 2025, or about 6%.

Input costs are also easing on average, with the CSO’s Wholesale Price Index showing a 2.6% decline in the 12 months to September 2025. However, there has been a slight decline in consumer confidence, as reflected in the Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index, which dropped from 74.1 in October 2024 to 59.9 in October 2025.

The Government acknowledges the challenges facing SMEs and the measures we have implemented to date, demonstrate our commitment to supporting enterprise, protecting jobs, and fostering a competitive, sustainable business environment. In particular, a series of measures have recently been adopted to help minimise cost pressures for Irish firms. These include extending the timeline for the introduction of the Living Wage by three years (to 2029) and a halt to any further increases under the Statutory Sick Leave scheme.

Most recently, the Government has taken action to address business costs through the publication of the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, and the convening of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum, both of which are commitments in the Programme for Government. The focus of the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity is on actions that can be taken to strengthen Ireland’s competitiveness and productivity which in turn will lead to improvements in our economic performance.

Complementary to the Action Plan, the Cost of Business Advisory Forum delivers on the commitment to support small business, enterprise, and industries across a number of sectors. The Forums’ key objective is to examine and identify the concerns of enterprise around the impact of the rising cost of doing business in Ireland. The Forums is scheduled to report to Government in q3 2026.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if there will be a new Southeast Regional Enterprise Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62042/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Balanced regional development remains a Government priority. My Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region.

My Department oversees implementation of the REPs at the national level. The most recent meeting of the REP National Oversight Group took place in June 2025 where implementation across all REPs was discussed. The next meeting of the REP National Oversight Group will take place on 26 November.

Each of the nine REPs is led by a Steering Committee which includes representatives from the enterprise agencies, local authorities, Regional Assemblies, higher education institutes and industry, who work collaboratively to drive implementation of the REP. Each REP includes a actions under a number of strategic objectives relevant to each region.

As mentioned in responses to previous parliamentary questions, in consultation with stakeholders, the current plans were extended for one year to the end of 2025 to allow for further implementation of current objectives and actions, as well as consideration of the future of the REPs.

The Programme for Government commits to publishing and resourcing new Regional Enterprise Plans and ensuring detailed consultation with all relevant stakeholders. My Department is working to deliver on this commitment.

In Q1 2025, my Department appointed Indecon to conduct an independent review of the Regional Enterprise Plan initiative and the final report has been delivered. The report findings are being examined by my Department, and consideration is being given to the next steps, to learn from the current plans and improve our future approach. Once we have decided on how best to take things forward, we will be communicating to all relevant stakeholders.

Work is also underway on a new regional enterprise policy statement which will map out the regional enterprise policy landscape and facilitate better alignment of the REPs with the activities of other regional stakeholders.

Following publication of the policy statement in 2026, I expect the formal consultation process for the development of the next set of Regional Enterprise Plans to get underway, with the aim of publishing new plans in 2026.