I have also been in constant contact with the Department of Social Protection on this issue to ensure employees are supported. We have also been in touch with the Revenue Commissioners, particularly for those who are self-employed and linked to this. I am very clear that the approach the Revenue will take will be a very understanding one, considering the stress of cashflow when people get news like this or a company closes urgently. For those protections, provided the employee does not resign from his or her post, …

Absolutely, and I know there was a Fastway depot in my home town of Mullingar where a number of workers are affected. My thoughts are with them. The Government is here to support and work with them under the current framework. I note again the significant challenges presented by the 30-day consultation period, but it is there to protect workers. Any holiday pay or wages that accrue will be paid by the receiver. It is up to the receiver to take details from the self-employed as well, particularly proof of invoices, …

As the Deputy is aware, simplification and burden reduction is a key issue at EU level with a view to improving EU competitiveness and ensuring there are no disproportionate burdens on business, particularly SMEs. In this context, the omnibus on sustainability was published in February 2025. I wish to acknowledge the work undertaken by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in relation to the omnibus on sustainability. This included public sessions held on 11 and 18 June, the latter of…

Anyone who saw the Draghi scorecard published a fortnight ago will see it really points out the implementation process of the simplification revolution and how slow it is. We really need to have an impetus on this. I spoke to all the MEPs in our party in the European Parliament to really get a big push on this. There are six pieces of omnibus legislation currently with the Parliament. We need to see simplification really borne out for our SMEs. We see from the original proposal that 35% of a reduction can be achiev…

This is about simplification. One of the key issues is the need to support our SMEs to ensure the burden placed on them is not inappropriate. With regard to each of the issues mentioned, a risk-based approach will continue, which is important. Stakeholder involvement will be core to the directive, which is also very important. With regard to harmonised civil liability, obviously national governments will be able to make a determination on this, which is also very important. With regard to our climate policies, it i…

I thank the Deputy for this very important question. It relates to a matter which is very close to my heart due to the fact that there is a depot in Mullingar. I very much understand the business model and the pressures that employees and their families face as a result of what happened. Receivership is a long-standing legal mechanism for the enforcement of a security. Usually in Ireland, a receiver is an individual appointed by a lender, such as a bank, to take control of company assets that were used as security …

I am fully aware of the gravity of the situation, particularly for franchisees and small self-employed contractors. The delivery of parcels is a matter of contract law. Delivery timelines relating to orders and the position regarding refunds are very much set out in consumer legislation and, from the point of view of the businesses involved, contract law. I have mentioned this matter to my colleague the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, from a transport perspective. An Post has absorbed some of the capacity, but there are …

There are huge challenges in our economy in respect of the turnover of jobs, which I, as Minister, can see. There is huge opportunity, but there is also a turnover of jobs every week. The Government is acutely aware of this and is supporting employees through it. It is clear that the Corporate Enforcement Authority is responsible for policing company law. If there are any issues, they should be reported. We have a very strong statutory context that underpins the operation of companies in this State. An Garda Síochá…

I thank the Deputy. The establishment of the AI office of Ireland is a strategic initiative of this Government. I am delighted to have secured start-up funding of €1.4 million as part of budget 2026 for the office's establishment. The AI office will act as a central co-ordinating body for the implementation of the AI Act in Ireland and will also provide a focal point for the promotion and adoption of transparent and safe AI in Ireland to ensure that we fully capture the strategic opportunity that AI presents. My of…

The Deputy makes valid points on this. The Government has not made a decision yet. We are going through a lot of the issues and seeking advice on them. Hopefully, in the coming months, we will be able to go to Government with a memorandum on the final structure. Enforcement and independence are key. It is important we have public trust in artificial intelligence. Some of the areas the Deputy referenced will be looked at in detail. I also note the distributive model we have taken. For example, we have the Health Pro…

Absolutely. We will consider them as part of our deliberative process. The enterprise committee will be key in our approach. The private sector has done a lot of good things with AI. Insight is the largest research centre in Europe. It is based in Trinity College and shows us how we can commercialise research based in tertiary education. We do have a lot to do from a public service point of view and in Departments. That is where a huge amount of Government work needs to be carried out. Public trust is important bec…

I thank the Deputy for this important question. Enhancing cross-Border co-operation and connections is a key ambition of this Government and tourism is an important asset we have to realise together. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination and works closely with colleagues in Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland. In addition to a commitment to work with Fáilte Ireland to develop a balanced regional spread of tourism throughout the country, …

We are working closely with our partners in Northern Ireland to expand our brands, particularly Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. There is ground for expansion there. I met with Minister Archibald in London last week. We were doing an expo together. It is great to see everyone together trying to push Ireland as a destination. We have discussed a number of areas which we will be supporting through the shared island initiative but also through Tourism Ireland, the all-island body. There is a huge amount of opportunity. We…

Last year was a bumper year for tourism and it is a big challenge to replicate that. However, we have to look at the evidence and the facts. Some 12% fewer seats came into our country because of the airport cap. That was a very significant challenge for the tourism sector. That will not be the case for the winter ahead. I think there will be approximately 9% more seats in the winter ahead, which will provide capacity for well over 1 million people to come into our country. This will provide a huge amount of additio…

I thank Deputy Ward for this very important question. The Government recognises that the cost of doing business has been an issue for firms in recent years arising from both the wider inflationary trends and Government-mandated changes in the form of improvements to working conditions across a range of areas. It is important to note that costs for firms, as measured through the CSO's wholesale price index, are declining and are down 2.6% in the 12 months to September 2025. Most recently the Government has taken act…

First, I would robustly challenge the premise that big businesses in the economy are not good. They employ people. Many franchises provide huge employment in many rural parts of our economy. Let us focus on what we are doing as a Government in the sector the Deputy referenced. First, we increased the PRSI threshold for those on the living wage. We brought forward moderations to the living wage and additional sick pay. We introduced an energy efficiency grant under which businesses get a 75% rebate. We have also ext…

I note the Deputy's concerns but I have not seen any workable framework under the European VAT directive that allows for differentiation on turnover. I have not seen it yet. I have not seen any workable proposal in relation to that. My point is very clear. There are 228,000 jobs supported in our hospitality sector. Many of them are in regional parts of our country and the vast majority of them, well over 90%, are small businesses. That is why as a Government we have taken a view that we are supporting them very rob…

I thank Deputy Burke for his very important question. Balanced regional development is a Government priority and a central component of the White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2030 is to support balanced regional enterprise development. My Department and its agencies work to support this agenda in several ways, including through the work of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, local enterprise offices, LEOs and nine regional enterprise plans. Enterprise Ireland supports over 4,000 Irish companies across every region in our …

I thank Deputy Burke for all his work in this area. I was with him recently in Cork. We had a great meeting looking at all the opportunities there and met many people from the community. I will say three quick things. First, the Department is working on a scheme for small manufacturing sites for businesses. There is huge demand, particularly for manufacturing and engineering businesses, for small units. Second, Cork will be key in looking at our next-generation site. We will have a next-generation site in the south…

I am happy to work with the Deputy on all those areas. He has been a firm advocate for business competitiveness, which is key. In the new infrastructure proposals the Government will be bringing forward in February, it will be key to look at our ports and such authorities to ensure we are quickly able to get the key infrastructure enhancements into those areas. On the national planning framework for businesses expanding, it is key to ensuring they can do so, because there have been impediments to that in the past. …