I thank the Deputy for the question. It is very important that we all acknowledge the importance of having vibrant towns and villages and that local shops and the retail sector are an important part of achieving that aim. The retail sector provides highly important employment, with over 220,000 people directly employed in retail, contributing to the economy of every city, town and village in Ireland. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht developed the town centre first policy, which was launched in 2022. This is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. In March, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne, launched the vacant over-the-shop grant, which will provide funding of up to €135,000 to support bringing above-the-shop vacant spaces into residential use where the commercial element is remaining. This grant is one of a number of measures, including a targeted top-up of the vacant property refurbishment grant and the expert advice grant, aimed at unlocking unused spaces in cities, towns and villages by converting vacant and derelict buildings and unused above-the-shop areas into residential homes. The retail forum allows key issues of relevance to the retail sector to be discussed with a view to identifying practical actions which could be taken by the Government, or by industry itself, to support the sector, with particular emphasis on achieving sustainable jobs growth in the sector. The work of the forum is driven by its members and the issues that they have identified as being critical to examine to support sustainable jobs growth in the retail sector. A broad range of supports for the retail sector, including training programmes and funding to help retailers adapt to new challenges and opportunities in retail, can be found on the national enterprise hub at www.neh.ie. This all-of-government service, staffed by expertly trained advisers, is focused on helping businesses to access a range of Government supports.

Sentiment score: 0.49

The town centre first policy has 33 actions right across government to enhance our town centres and villages. It is from the ground up and is community-led, to really accelerate those resources. The grant that I referenced of €135,000 will be of assistance in bringing on accommodation over the shop. We established our small business unit within the Department just a year ago and it has introduced a number of supports which are really targeted at our small business sector. As evidenced by Central Statistics Office data, all 13 sectors in our economy are now growing. There are challenges in town centres and that is why these grants are specifically targeted to bring them back to life. We can see the direct results of that, as well as through the croí cónaithe initiative, which is bringing homes back into use and accommodation over the shop. That will be a big asset. We have a cost-of-business advisory forum, which is due to report in the coming weeks. That will look at business costs and how we can reach a position where we are taking less money from businesses by reducing their utility costs and growing their revenue, which is key to keeping them sustainable.

Sentiment score: 0.21

I would argue that we have a number of new schemes, particularly the one announced this month, which will make a difference to dereliction and reduce costs for businesses. We know from the evidence that traditional retail and hospitality are under significant pressure due to costs. What I have tried to do in the Department is bring about significant simplification measures. I have also tried to get additional grants in to small family businesses, which provide two thirds of employment across our economy. We can see that through our energy efficiency grant which reduces costs, or grants for growing their digital platform. We are very fixated on doing that. New changes were also made by the Department of Finance in relation to dereliction, going through the Revenue Commissioners. That will involve a carrot-and-stick approach. We now have very significant grants, on the positive side, but the Government has also demonstrated that it will take action if properties are not brought back into use, particularly when we have a housing challenge. It is important that we see conversion rates increase and the policy balance that we have now will achieve that.

Sentiment score: 0.20

The preparation of the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, which was published on 10 September 2025, was a commitment under the programme for Government. Its delivery was expedited in response to international economic developments. The overarching objective of the action plan is to maintain and improve Ireland's position as a competitive and productive economy capable of withstanding shocks, building on our strengths and developing our indigenous enterprise base while continuing to attract investment and talent from abroad. Ireland holds a strong competitive position globally. This is reflected in our current position as the seventh most competitive country worldwide in the latest IMD world competitiveness rankings 2025. Among EU member states, Ireland ranks second. The next update to these rankings is expected to be published in June 2026. I am pleased to report that the implementation of the action plan is well under way. Currently, the vast majority of actions are regarded as in progress. A number of key actions from the action plan have already been delivered or are due for completion in the coming months. The next progress update on the implementation of the action plan will be discussed as part of the Government’s annual competitiveness summit in July 2026, with a first implementation report to be submitted for discussion at the summit. Monitoring the success of this action plan will operate across two distinct but complementary dimensions. The first focuses on practical delivery, tracking the timely and effective implementation of specific actions and commitments across government. The second assesses strategic impact, evaluating progress toward the broader goals of the plan, namely, sustained improvements in Ireland’s competitiveness and productivity. It should be noted that changes in productivity and competitiveness are typically driven by structural factors and are characterised by lasting improvements in efficiency, capacity and innovation. They will therefore require time. In that regard, to support monitoring and oversight in respect of the broader aims of the action plan, the Government will continue to seek advice from the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council.

Sentiment score: 0.39

First, I go by evidence and fact. We are the second most competitive economy in the eurozone, which is a very strong value proposition. Since the report was brought forward in relation to the action plan, we have had a number of advances. Our semiconductor plan has commenced, which is significantly attracting investment in that space. Our action plan for market diversification is building on the risks that are there geopolitically, taking advantage of the 41 free trade agreements across the European Union with 72 countries. We brought forward our action plan for collective bargaining, which we discussed earlier on. Despite the Deputy's reference to business costs, in the earlier debate she was looking to abolish subminimum rates, which would increase the costs of small shops by 30% or more. She is looking to bring in additional sick pay and refresh the living wage to bring it in more aggressively. All of those are costs to businesses. The Deputy should practice what she preaches in that regard. We have also brought forward and are working on a timeframe to ensure we lift the Dublin Airport cap. That is another important part of our tourism strategy. We brought forward our tourism strategy, A New Era for Irish Tourism, which was launched in December as part of the action plan.

Sentiment score: 0.18

I have pointed out how we are improving the competitiveness of the economy, which is critical to ensuring we keep attracting jobs. We have about 2.83 million people working in our economy right now, which is a record. All 13 sectors of the economy are growing. That is not me saying that. It is the CSO, which is the gold standard. Real wage growth increased past inflation last year. Again, that is the CSO report, which is there for everyone to see. That shows there are very strong opportunities within the economy that is growing. In relation to Deputy Conway-Walsh's colleague in Northern Ireland proposing to ban zero-hour contracts, we have done it. They are proposing to bring in tips legislation; we have done that. They are proposing to improve the work-life balance; we have done that already. So, a number of the initiatives that have been brought forward in the Deputy's colleague's Bill have already been acted on in this State's jurisdiction. We also brought forward the action plan on collective bargaining in advance of the target within the EU, and I made the commitment, irrespective of the European Court of Justice case, that I would accelerate it and bring it in. That is a strong testament to workers right across the economy.

Sentiment score: 0.25