Peter Burke
Longford-Westmeath · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank Deputy Ó Broin for raising this important matter. I cannot imagine the trauma many families are going through right now as a result of the conclusion of An Coimisiún Pleanála on this file. This was a dark time in our past.”
“I thank Deputy Nash for his question on this very important issue. I will say clearly and unambiguously that I share his concerns in relation to ensuring that no product produced in Ireland ends up in the Russian military complex. We are very firm in that belief.”
“I have heard suggestions in some outlets that the Irish Government was in that company's corner at key European forums. That is not true. The European Commission has brought forward 20 sanctions packages and Ireland has supported them all 100%. It is very important to put that on the record.”
“I thank Deputy Wall for his very important intervention. I heard part of the interview this morning, which was exceptional and very courageous, showing leadership in an area which affects so many people in our society. I know the Minister for Health is supportive of the Deputy's initiative and remains so.”
“We have enacted the Family Courts Bill, establishing a dedicated family court to look at very sensitive items for victims. We have introduced an offence for non-fatal strangulation, reflecting the seriousness of the abuse and the stress and harm it causes.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy for being proactive and bringing forward a solution to try to operationalise a group of the Oireachtas and showing leadership to do that for Tipperary. I will absolutely bring that to the attention of the Minister for justice, particularly considering the cross-party aspect.”
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“Regarding the ten Ministers the Deputy cites who currently have not concluded the pay agreement to repay moneys owed, a number of clarifications have been sought about the calculations that were brought forward. I know that everyone has the right to ensure that they are paying the correct amount and every single Minister wants to ensure they are doing that. That is very important. The Government is crystal clear that any retired civil servant or Minister who does not comply or pay back what is due to the Exchequer will not receive their pension because this is a key requirement in funding their pension. I also robustly challenge what the Deputy says about the social welfare protection code that we have in this country. I, like many politicians, do weekly clinics, meeting constituents who are very vulnerable.”
“Primarily for Government Ministers, what has happened is that, through a series of Government decisions where Ministers took a deduction in their pay, a salary sacrifice, the question was posed of whether the pension deduction calculation should be on the gross salary or on the net amount that was sacrificed. This was obviously brought to the attention of the Minister for public expenditure and reform last year. Unlike what the Deputy said, there was a public statement on the matter and the Minister answered questions at that time. This was not the fault of any politician or former civil servant; it was an error by the NSSO. The Government immediately committed to having a review carried out by Derek Moran, the chairperson of the NSSO. That will report in March to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. I want to clearly point out that the underpayments and overpayments in question have come about through a series of administrative errors in the National Shared Services Office, NSSO. Critically, the cohort of people who are affected include, first, retired civil servants who previously work-shared and whose pensions were undercalculated and, second, current and former Ministers and officeholders and retired civil and public servants. Those are the cohorts who are affected by the error in the NSSO.”
“It is an area in which Tipperary and Clonmel can be an attractive proposition for investment. That is something we are working closely on. I look forward to working with Deputy Murphy to develop more projects in Tipperary, for which he is a huge advocate.”
“As the Deputy rightly outlined, the location is hugely attractive, particularly in relation to utilities, which are at a premium. The local authority has been proactive in this regard in looking ahead in developing connectivity, which is critical for the key infrastructural components that deliver high-quality jobs. We will work closely with the Deputy and the IDA to ensure we get a good client in this location and build on the existing clients. It is a very exciting ecosystem, particularly for life sciences. We will hopefully publish a life science strategy by August in time for our Presidency of the EU which will chart more investment in that area. We have approximately 100,000 jobs nationally in that sector and a total of €100 billion investment in exports every year.”
“Hopefully, the local authority can be proactive in this regard and we can work with the IDA to try to ensure that, first, we deliver high-quality jobs and, now that we have a new exciting tourism strategy, we breathe life into areas and ensure that the 46,000 SMEs and 228,000 people employed in that sector are getting a strong dividend back into their community.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy again for his proactive approach when we were on site in Clonmel. The ecosystem that exists there will put us in a very strong position together with the partnerships the Deputy has worked with, including Tipperary County Council, to really ensure that we have the development of water and the development of grid capacity on site. Having a utility-rich site like that puts us in a strong position. We will ensure the IDA gives its full attention to try to get a strong client into it. On the Deputy’s trip I was impressed with the Bulmers visitor centre at Dowd’s Lane. It is an exciting project that we can deliver through our capital grants and Fáilte Ireland. I know the Deputy is committed to it. It is one I would like to see developing over the next year.”
“m advance factory solution building on a site of approximately 3.4 ha at Ballingarrane science and technology park in Clonmel, County Tipperary. The advance planning permission allows the maximum flexibility to a potential client whereby it can avail of the permission or amend it to suit its requirements. I was delighted to visit Tipperary with Deputy Murphy in recent weeks and receive a presentation from the local authority and, indeed, IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland continues to market aggressively the site, and the planning permission it has in existence, to new and existing IDA global clients and through its regional offices.”
“Within that, there are 16 IDA Ireland client companies in County Tipperary, employing 5,630 people. The mid-west region has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across technology, life sciences, international financial services, and the engineering and industrial technologies sectors. The availability of suitable property and strategic sites is a critical component of the regional value proposition and can be the key differentiator in investment decisions in the regions from both new and existing clients as well as clients of Enterprise Ireland and our local enterprise offices, LEOs. As part of the property strategy, IDA, in partnership with Tipperary County Council, has secured planning permission for a proposed 10,000 sq.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy for his important question. IDA's strategy to drive balanced regional development is a priority, as set out in the programme for Government, and is a key focus of the work of my Department and its agencies. IDA Ireland is continuing its strong commitment to regional development as one of our four key strategic objectives in the 2025-29 strategy, Adapt Intelligently. This ambitious strategy aims to secure 550 foreign direct investment, FDI, projects outside of Dublin, accounting for 55% of the total investment target. There has been consistent FDI performance in the mid-west region, comprising counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary, with employment in IDA clients increasing by 15% over the past five years. IDA now has 158 client companies in the mid-west region, employing 28,125 people.”
“When you look at some of the Eurostat data about the utilisation of bed nights, some of these short-term lets in our cities are only rented out two or three nights a month. When you look at the Revenue that is coming in from those two or three nights and the property being vacant for the rest of the time, is that acceptable when society is under significant pressure for housing? Those are the types of trade-offs we have to consider in policy. We work closely with the Minister, Deputy Browne, on trying to get the balance right and taking into account what the Oireachtas joint committee did in pre-legislative scrutiny.”
“I again thank the Deputy for his comments. I do not want to see any unintended consequences coming from this action. The core point is that when you have a sector that is growing at 10% per annum in terms of numbers, without any Government intervention, we need to ensure there is regulation here in some regard. It is about getting the correct policy to ensure we are getting the data from the people who are staying in these short-term lets as we do not know anything about many of them so we cannot craft tourism policy. That data will be very valuable for our tourism product. You also have to ensure that you have competing interests in an economy. We know we have a very acute housing crisis. Our cities are of particular concern.”
“Across Government, we are working together to try to achieve a balance on that. I want to reinforce this point that I am very understanding there are areas right across our country where accommodation is under pressure and it is not viable to have hotels. We will be looking at that as well and looking at the product there is in County Kerry, which we want to support and want to continue, which we will under this current tourism policy. Over the past four consecutive months, we have seen very strong growth again and I want that to continue into 2026.”
“It is not our intention to put anyone out of existence. I want to be clear that I am very keen on trying to develop our tourism sector. We now have a very robust plan, based on evidence, that will put key KPIs into our State agencies to ensure we are seeing 7% growth per annum in our sector. That will be very important. Obviously, County Kerry will be key in delivering that growth. My primary role is to devise the legislation coming forward to designate Fáilte Ireland as the competent authority. Obviously, the Minister, Deputy Browne, is in a trickier position in terms of deciding what the planning piece will be and what designation should be attached to the numbers of where you will be required to have planning permission and where it will be approved. That will be the key response.”
“As a tourism Minister, I also have to balance not only our indigenous tourism sector, which is very important, but also the societal need for housing. The challenge is getting the correct balance here. I absolutely commit that we will work the Deputy and others to try to get the right policy. We will consider the pre-legislative scrutiny report from the committee, which we are due to have very shortly. I want to see the sectors grow. In areas that do not have very significant hotel accommodation, I acknowledge you need short-term lets. I am absolutely aware of that. In many locations, it is not viable to build hotels at the moment. That is something we will be looking at in our accommodation strategy, which I also hope to bring forward this year.”
“That is the critical component for which I am responsible. The second, working with the Minister, Deputy Browne, is to come forward with a planning statement which will essentially designate the criteria for short-term lets. It is based on a population basis. We went forward to the Oireachtas joint committee and we are now awaiting its pre-legislative scrutiny report. That will be key for guiding the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I on the criteria that will be set out. I know the Deputy has raised very significant concerns about Killarney and other towns in relation to short-term lets. We will take on board all of those concerns. My critical concern is that we have to ensure we are bringing housing stock back into the long-term market, particularly in our large cities.”
“I thank Deputy Cahill for his very important question. In line with the programme for Government, I was pleased to launch the Government's new national - I have the wrong one there. My apologies. I think I have the wrong question, if you could just give me a second. I do not see it here. Anyway, I will manage. In relation to our short-term lets, there is obviously a commitment in the programme for Government about managing our short-term lets. We know the sector has grown by about 10% per annum over the last number of years. Critically, my responsibility is through Fáilte Ireland as it will be designated as a competent authority. This will essentially require a process where short-term lets will have to register on a portal and be provided with a unique number to ensure they comply with planning law.”
“I take on board Deputy Fleming's comments. I will work with the IDA on attracting foreign direct investment into the region. We have increased our regional target, which is very important, to get as many jobs as we can. We are working through our capital programme, in which we have about €500 million for regional buildings, to put the infrastructure in place around them and ensure they are in the best position to attract investment. Visitor numbers are up in the midlands but I will add a note of caution. We are operating in an uncertain political environment. We know the pressures on the global stage regarding attracting investment, which will be acute in 2026. Notwithstanding that, with our indigenous agencies, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, we will do our best to reflect the Deputy's concerns and will try to do better in 2026.”
“Critically, the Leprino Foods site is another high-quality, high-spec building and we really need to find a replacement employer. It is one we are marketing aggressively as part of the IDA portfolio.”
“I acknowledge the concern raised by Deputy Fleming in connection with Laois. I was on the ground there with Deputies Fleming and Aird recently and looked at where we have an advanced planning permit in Portlaoise and lands surrounding it, as well as being there on the occasion when Midland Steel announced 70 jobs, which are very important for the area. We have seen 11% growth in Enterprise Ireland from 2020 to 2024, which equals about 260 jobs supported by the agency. We have to do better and I fully acknowledge that. We drive regional growth as best we can and I have asked the IDA to up its targets for regional areas. I will do all I can, working with Deputies Fleming and Aird, to bring additional investment into Laois.”
“The first year of this strategy, 2025, saw IDA Ireland achieving the highest ever number of investments, 323, a 38% increase on 2024, which are expected to create over 15,300 jobs in the coming years.”
“In Longford, the employment figures went from 1,236 in 2020 to 1,572 in 2025, an increase of 336. In Offaly, the 2020 employment figure was 1,232. This increased by 67 to 1,299 in 2025. In Westmeath, the number of IDA Ireland-supported jobs increased by 626 over the period, going from 3,848 to 4,474. Over the period of its previous strategy, 2021 to 2024, IDA Ireland supported the delivery of 973 investments and the creation of 76,790 jobs. Some 54% of those investments were won in regional locations. In the midlands, 31 investments were won against a target of 25. Under its current strategy, IDA Ireland is targeting 550 of a total 1,000 investments to regional locations, including 40 in the midlands.”
“I thank Deputy Fleming for his very important question on the midlands. Regional development is a key focus of our programme for Government and is central to the work the Department and our enterprise agencies. The region, comprising counties Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, is home to 51 IDA Ireland companies that employ 7,501 people. Foreign direct investment performance has been consistent over the six years requested by the Deputy, 2020 to 2025, with IDA Ireland-supported jobs increasing by 1,027, or 16%, over this period. Employment in Westmeath, Longford and Offaly increased by 626, 336 and 67 respectively, while employment in Laois decreased by two. In 2020, there were 158 IDA Ireland-supported jobs in Laois. This decreased to 156 in 2025.”
“There will be a lot of grants available to help businesses make sure that the information provided on their platforms is what is needed to ensure that what we have to offer is highlighted on the search engines people use to book tours, etc. About 30% of all people who come here use the Internet to assess the areas they are thinking about visiting. They use generative AI to set out their itineraries for the time they are here. We need to ensure that businesses here can advertise what they have to offer in an effective way online.”
“I am happy to work with Deputies Heneghan and Ó Muirí in their constituency, particularly as this is a very important project. We will be working on a number of projects in the context of our destination and experience development plan, which will chart the development of the area, over the coming months and years. It is important that this work links with that of our State agencies and local authorities. There are exciting opportunities in the tourism sector, and I relish the opportunity of working on them in the coming months. We have significant capital schemes that we will bring forward this year. We will also focus developing the brand. SMEs are critical - I keep coming back to this - because they deliver the authentic brand on our behalf. In that context, we have to up our digital game.”
“Fáilte Ireland offers tailored brand toolkits, marketing resources and business-to-business promotional content designed to empower local tour operators and small enterprises to create and showcase memorable visitor experiences that drive regional tourism growth. These initiatives represent a comprehensive programme to grow marine and coastal tourism in Dublin Bay North. This is along with other potential funding streams I mentioned that are overseen by the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government.”
“Again, I acknowledge the work Fáilte Ireland is doing on the coastal path, the 11 stops I mentioned and the others that are planned. Fáilte Ireland is a named partner in the Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere, the purpose of which is to ensure that tourism growth is aligned with sustainability and environmental stewardship. Fáilte Ireland continues to invest in seasonal events, such as the New Year's Festival, which is held in Howth, and the Home of Hallowe'en hub in Fingal, which drive off-season tourism and provide direct support to local businesses. Those are the key areas we are trying to work on in order to lengthen the season.”
“A key element of this work is the Dublin coastal trail, launched in 2022, which provides a flagship framework to showcase Dublin's coastline from Skerries to Killiney. The original trail features 11 stops, including Howth, Raheny and Bull Island, with five additional stops planned at Clontarf-Dollymount, Dublin Port, Balbriggan, Donabate and Blackrock.”
“I encourage the Deputy to liaise with Fáilte Ireland in relation to schemes that will come forward over the coming year. My colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for the heritage sector. I have been informed that the Heritage Council, which comes under the remit of his Department, operates funding schemes that may be relevant to this project. Separately, Fáilte Ireland has commenced work on the Dublin coast destination and experience development plan. The plan is being developed in close collaboration with local authorities in the region and key agencies, tourism businesses and community stakeholders. Fáilte Ireland is actively promoting and developing marine and coastal tourism in Dublin Bay North through a range of strategic initiatives.”
“I should clarify that regional tourism promotion is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland, in collaboration with local authorities and other tourism stakeholders. Fáilte Ireland recognises the importance of ongoing capital investment in tourism infrastructure and attractions across the country and remains committed to supporting the sustainable development of tourism potential in all areas. I understand that the project being proposed would be a heritage centre that could also be used as a shared community facility. At present, Fáilte Ireland does not operate a capital grant scheme to support such a project. However, when suitable capital schemes are launched, they are open to eligible project promoters nationwide, subject to meeting all scheme criteria being met, including strategic alignment and value for money.”
“I thank the Deputy for his very important question. In December, I launched the Government's new national tourism policy statement, A New Era for Irish Tourism. This sets out our clear vision to 2031 to have balanced product development. Since the move of tourism into my Department, I have reflected that SMEs are at the heart of the Department of enterprise. There are over 46,000 of them. We published the Department’s sectoral plan last week. We have €4.7 billion over the next five years, and €400 million is earmarked for tourism. I also want to enhance the quality and sustainability of our tourism offering, ensuring that Ireland remains a compelling destination for international visitors while supporting local communities and businesses.”
“We will be taking some €7.5 million from the shared island fund to really penetrate into some of those key projects that need development in Northern Ireland, in particular the Causeway Coastal Route, the expansion of the Hidden Heartlands and the other projects I mentioned in view of the UNESCO status that Sliabh Beagh and other areas will get. We are working very closely with Dr. Archibald, my ministerial counterpart in the North, on marketing Ireland as a brand. We are resourcing Tourism Ireland very strongly this year. As I said, boots are back on the ground internationally. We are going after new markets in the Asia-Pacific region and North America. That will yield significant results in the coming months and years.”
“I assure the Deputy that any time I am marketing Ireland as a tourism product, it is the island of Ireland. We can see this in the infrastructural projects that reach into other sectors outside my Department. Through the shared island economic brand, it is very important to tackle the key infrastructural deficits we have on the island. We are being honest that they are there and very visible. We have a huge amount of work to do. From my perspective, I want to develop the brand and work on the infrastructural projects in the tourism sector.”
“We have a bit of work to do in that regard because people may have a different impression of Ireland before they come here. However, when they experience our authentic produce, particularly artisan foods and brewery products, they are very impressed. We have the North-South distillery trail, which is another prime example of the work that Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland are doing in close collaboration. I want to see that continue because, as an island, our success is shared, and I am very keen on that.”
“We are doing exactly that. We are harnessing the close co-operation with Northern Ireland. I am working very closely with the Minister, Dr. Archibald, whom I have met on a number of occasions, and we are promoting the country as an island internationally while abroad at trade missions. Fermanagh has been included in Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. As for the Causeway Coastal Route, collaboration is taking place as we speak to have a joint project that attracts visitors across the island. As I pointed out, we are harnessing the ambition and opportunity through our all-island culinary strategy, which we will be developing over the coming year. It will be an exciting opportunity to really penetrate markets, particularly from a European perspective.”
“Under the All-Island Strategic Tourism Group, which was established by the North South Ministerial Council, my Department and tourism agencies will work with counterparts in Northern Ireland to identify key areas of North-South co-ordination and co-operation to harness the tourism potential of the whole island, offering rewarding experiences for visitors while supporting communities across the island.”
“In this regard, the Government will work with counterparts in Northern Ireland to ensure that Tourism Ireland continues to be adequately resourced to successfully carry out its remit and help achieve the policy objectives. My Department, in consultation with the tourism agencies, will continue to support shared island bids for joint initiatives, which will enhance regional connectivity and create more cohesive visitor experiences across the island.”
“This policy provides an overview of the Government’s long-term approach to tourism development to 2031 and sets out a clear framework to support a competitive, sustainable and regionally balanced tourism sector. The policy provides for the delivery of all-island product development and promotion through the tourism agencies and shared island funding, and for the development of new tourism opportunities, building on the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route brand collaboration project and the implementation of the Cuilcagh lakelands, Carlingford Lough and Sliabh Beagh shared destinations projects. The commitments outlined in the new policy on North-South tourism include the Government’s commitment to ongoing co-operation in the overseas marketing of the island of Ireland as a holiday destination.”
“Enhancing cross-Border co-operation and connections is a key ambition of this Government, and the tourism plan is an important asset towards achieving this goal. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination, and it 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, further advancing the experience brands, the programme for government also includes a commitment to support Tourism Ireland to further integrate tourism offerings on an all-island basis. In line with the programme for government, my Department published the new tourism strategy, A New Era for Irish Tourism, on 1 December 2025.”
“So many business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are working hand in glove. I would be very happy to work with Deputy on that to try to get that connectivity. It is an important marketplace for Ireland. Two-way bilateral relations benefit both sides, as we can see from tertiary education and other areas.”
“It is a very important destination for us. We have 21 gateway hubs with the US now. We are keen on expanding them. I was in Savannah and Atlanta for a St. Patrick’s Day mission a couple of years ago. Delta raised with me that it wanted to put new routes into Ireland but the cap at that point precluded it from doing so. We need to resolve the airport cap this year - that will be critically important - and grow those routes. I have specifically raised the strategic air activation scheme with Tourism Ireland which could work for Savannah. It would be important to try to get direct flights in. I am aware of the tertiary education link with Wexford and strong links there with the great work taking place on the ground in Wexford and in Savannah. The enthusiasm is incredible.”
“The previous winter, we had 9% fewer seats in total. That has been a big challenge for the sector. There are 46,000 SMEs which deliver our authentic tourism product. They are now in the heart of my Department. That is why policy has changed. I have made a complete gear change, with my two Ministers of State, in tourism policy. We are working to support SMEs, extend the season and work on accommodation providers. We have 11,500 beds now in construction, 8,600 of which are in Dublin, and moving away from State contracts with private hotel accommodation which will be important for the sector.”
“The Deputy is quite right in relation to the CSO earlier in the year. I was making the point that it has recovered significantly over the past four months. We took immediate action. We brought forward a plan that will grow the sector significantly over the next five years. I will work on extending the season because 50% of visitors come from June to September. We are trying to bring it from St. Brigid's Day out to Halloween which will be a significant asset. We are also looking at an all-Ireland culinary strategy which will assist growth of the food and beverage sector. Critically, we will have 12% more seats coming into Ireland through our air carriers this winter. If one looks at the markets the Deputy mentioned, we will have 13% more in Germany, 8% more in France and 7% more in the UK.”
“This five-year strategy provides a clear framework to 2031 to grow our revenue and visitor numbers and, critically, career pathways within the sector.”
“This is the fourth consecutive month of 2025 to show growth in visitor numbers compared with 2024, which is very encouraging after a slow start. I recognise that the tourism sector continues to face challenges including competitiveness pressures, macroeconomic uncertainty and the need to strengthen connectivity. As Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, I am focused on ensuring that recent momentum is sustained. Addressing these challenges while supporting long-term resilience and productivity is a key priority for my Department and sits firmly within the wider enterprise and employment agenda. In November 2025, the Department and me published our national tourism policy statement, A New Era for Irish Tourism.”
“I thank Deputy Lawlor for this important question. While I acknowledge his observations on revenue, the CSO statistics indicate a more optimistic picture for 2025. Overall tourism revenue in 2025 remained strong, albeit at a slightly lower level than the exceptional high levels reached in 2024 but on par with 2023. Encouragingly, the latest CSO data show a return to growth in overseas visitor numbers and expenditure towards the end of the year. The CSO reports that in November 2025, overseas visitors spent €347 million on trips excluding fares. This represents a 10% increase when compared with November 2024 and a rise of 4% compared with November 2023. Some 460,300 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in November 2025, an increase of 13% compared with the same month in 2024 and up 3% compared with November 2023.”
“Look at the data – Irish-born firms have had a record year of €36 billion of exports. It never happened before. It broke all records for Enterprise Ireland. The economy is performing strongly. There are challenges and costs are high, but we are doing our very best to address those on foot of the cost of business advisory forum and our small business unit. We are working night and day to try to bring in further sustainability grants to help them over the long term.”
“I want to come back to the Deputy with evidence and factual data. For every company that goes into liquidation in the economy now, ten more are created. We are at an all-time low in terms of insolvency levels. The CSO data, which is the gold standard of collecting evidence in this economy, backs that up. The Deputy should have a look at the December outturn and the summary of our economic position. All 13 sectors of the economy are growing. We are at a record level of employment. Some 2.82 million people are going to work this week in the economy. The Deputy has seen the increase in wages, which is not driving essentially a low-cost economy. We have good well-paid jobs in the economy. As I said, there has been a 45% increase in the weekly wage since 2015. We want to bring more high-value jobs into the economy.”
“Jobs are being created. Every day over 60 jobs are being created in this economy and we are working to reduce costs further through our Cost of Business Advisory Forum.”
“We are doing a number of things that will continue to bring viability into businesses. Each of them, on its own, has been opposed by Sinn Féin. First, we have reassessed the trajectory to a living wage, which has been pointed out by firms as a huge cost for viability. Second, we have put a halt to an extension of sick day numbers. Third, we have increased viability through a host of sustainability grants. Our energy efficiency grant, which is a 75% rebate, can take €1,200 per month off the utility costs of firms. We have established a small business unit within the Department to respond to pressures on the SMEs. All 13 sectors of the economy are growing. That is what the CSO said in its report in December. It showed that wages are at €1,000 gross per week, which is a 45% increase since 2015. All sectors are growing.”