I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government acknowledges the enormous contribution of the retail sector to our economy in every city, town and village in Ireland. It plays an important role in employment, with over 220,000 people directly employed in retail. As I said in response to the previous Deputy, I meet quarterly with the retail representative bodies for all retailers right across the country. The Minister, Deputy Burke, and I are aware of the issues facing retailers. In addition, during the recent f…

I understand the concern raised by the Deputy, and I certainly do not underestimate the challenges many retail businesses face. That is why we have undertaken interventions in March and April in regard to the ongoing energy crisis we face. We have also looked at VAT changes, which will be introduced in July of this year, in respect of many cafés and small coffee shops. We have also looked at the targeted grants for local enterprise offices around cost reduction and digital adaptation. This is important. As I said e…

We are actively engaging with the retailers and the representative organisations. That is crucial. The charge may be that we are not listening, but we are listening. I think that is an important starting point. The Deputy hit the nail on the head when he said we want to have less talk and more action. This is exactly what we are looking to do, focusing on delivery. We want to ensure that the grants around green for business, digitalisation and energy reductions, working with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Irel…

I propose to take Questions Nos 130 and 134 together. As the Deputy said, the Government is under no illusion about the seriousness of the fuel price shock facing small- and medium-sized enterprises. We recognise that for many businesses fuel and energy are not optional costs. They are a core input that determine whether a business survives or fails. The Department has carried out a detailed sector-by-sector assessment and the evidence is clear that the impact is uneven but acute in particular sectors. In transport…

I thank the Deputies for their questions and contributions. I and my colleagues in the Department of enterprise have placed SMEs in all sectors front and centre. They are not being left behind. We fully understand the cost pressures many of them face. The memo the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, brought to Cabinet today was supported right across the Government. It outlined the types of measures that will be introduced over the weeks ahead. There are other specific measures within the construction industry. The sector wa…

I certainly disagree that SMEs are being left behind. This is one of the most substantial packages across the European Union. It is all about supporting jobs and those who are most impacted but also ensuring they can absorb some of the cost increases that they are facing. We cannot cushion all the price increases. There is a reality here that many governments are trying to grapple with. A sum of €750 million is really substantial. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, met many of the pillar banks as recently as last week, a…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government fully recognises the significant harm caused by retail crime, which not only impacts retailers and retail employees but also has broader consequences for local communities and the national economy. Theft, organised shoplifting and associated antisocial behaviour are not victimless crimes and directly affect businesses' viability, staff safety and community confidence. I am acutely aware retailers are facing real financial losses, including rising insurance and sec…

I thank the Deputy for his contribution. All retail workers deserve to go to work without fear and business owners deserve the protections of the livelihoods they have built. That is why we are very much focused on the retail crime strategy. It is well advanced and will include specific, targeted measures including prevention, enforcement and support for affected businesses. Operationally, An Garda Síochána has rolled out Operation Táirge, which has been successful. We have seen more disruption, arrests and prosecu…

As I said, the retail crime strategy is being worked through at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. It is being led out by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. I have had extensive engagement with him and his officials. We have held a round-table meeting with many retailers, who were representatives of the retail forum. We want to ensure that strategy has concrete interventions and that these can be delivered within the term of the Government. It is a programme for Government commitment. We want to …

The amendments in group 1 are technical Government amendments. Amendment No. 1 is grouped with amendments Nos. 2, 3 and 6 to 11, inclusive. These amendments update the references throughout the Bill to reflect the revised title of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and the associated Departments and the revised title of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, as provided for in the relevant statutory instrument.

These amendments insert new sections, 16A and 16B, into the Microenterprise Loan Fund Act 2012. It puts the staffing arrangements of Microfinance Ireland on a clear statutory footing. It also provides explicitly in legislation for Microfinance Ireland to appoint staff and to determine grades, numbers, terms and conditions, including pay, subject at all times to ministerial approval and public expenditure consent. It strengthens governance and accountability while allowing the organisation to operate effectively. It…

The Government is committed to delivering on Ireland's responsibility to address the climate crisis. Work remains ongoing across Departments to carry out climate mitigation efforts every day. The roll-out of retrofitting, renewable energy and more affordable electric vehicles, EVs, continues at pace. Ireland now has the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in over 35 years, despite a population increase of more than 1.5 million, an additional 1 million new homes and 1 million extra vehicles on our roads. The En…

As I said earlier, we are making significant progress and we need to continue that pace and ensure that we have full delivery of all planned measures in regard to our legally binding targets. That is exactly what we are intending to do. Let us be clear, we have the policies and the necessary funding in place and the governance is being strengthened. The Government has continued to remove blockages and accelerate projects. We have focused on the -impact actions. We have a climate action plan that is more focused, co…

Just to address the rhetoric and some of the-----

----- issues that the Deputy is raising.

We are trying to have a civil conversation on oral parliamentary questions. As I said earlier, we have reduced our CO2 emissions below 1990 baseline figures for the second consecutive year, and we are making significant progress on expanding home retrofits and bringing more renewable energy on stream. The best response we have made in recent years is that our emissions are falling. That is the reality. Our investment is unprecedented, and we want to do even more. Our policies are being implemented across all sector…

We will not dismantle our climate policy. We have continued-----

The programme for Government commits to promoting the SRESS to simplify market access for communities, SMEs and farmer-owned solar and wind projects. The SRESS export tariff is designed for community, SME and farmer export-only projects above 50 kW to 6 MW. SRESS offers a simpler route to market for those groups, with fixed tariffs for solar and wind. All export projects up to 1 MW can also apply to SRESS, and need not be community, SME or farmer-owned projects. To further support communities, the Sustainable Energ…

I fully accept that the uptake must increase. I know there is one project in Kerry and there is also a project in my own constituency of Mayo. That is exactly what we are working to do, to unlock the barriers. In terms of our commitment, we are reviewing whether 100% community ownership remains the right model. We are also examining options of partnership between communities and developers, and also aligning the tariffs and supports for projects, that they are deliverable, bankable and compliant. We have to do this…

To answer the question, we met as recently as yesterday in regard to it. We hope to have the review published before the end of the year. I understand the urgency around it. We listen to the frustration from communities that are giving their time and energy in trying to get these projects off the ground. We are very much committed to the community-enabling grants. That has not changed and we want to ensure that anything we implement is legally sound and can be delivered safely. That is why we have an independent te…