Peter Burke

I do indeed. Our new life science strategy will be brought forward next year. That will be in line with the EU life science strategy and will aim to grow the 100,000 employees in the sector and the more than €100 billion in exports. Galway is very much front and centre of that, being a hub of medtech. About 70% of medtech companies are doing research and development and they are very good at the c…

I understand that work is ongoing with the local authority in relation to that. My Department is very happy to support that planning permit, which will be very important for the sector. There is huge opportunity. We hear some negative things about the planning process but one thing that strikes me, as a former Minister of State with responsibility for planning, is that over 90% of planning decisio…

I thank Deputy Fleming for his question on the midlands region. Regional development is a key focus in the programme for Government and is central to the work of my Department and its agencies. In that regard, IDA Ireland has reaffirmed its strong commitment to regional development as a core pillar of its 2025 to 2029 strategy, which we launched a number of months ago. This ambitious strategy aims…

I will be categorical in stating that we are absolutely not excluding Laois. I was down there recently. The Leprino plant is an existing sector business under Enterprise Ireland that we are trying to find a replacement for through the FDI sector. It is a highly regulated plant that needs very significant support. As the Deputy will be aware, we are also working on an advance planning permit for Po…

I would absolutely support Deputy Fleming in what he set out, those 30 ha and the critical importance of an advance factory unit or a building solution unit because we know that it shortens lead time for investors. When you are bringing someone on site and you have a ready-made building, or the consent agreed for a building, it makes a difference. We will absolutely work with the Deputy on that. I…

I thank Deputy Clendennen. The Government recognises that the cost of doing business has been an issue for firms in recent years arising from wider inflationary trends, including energy costs. It is important to note that costs for firms, as measured through the CSO’s wholesale price index, are declining and are down 3% in the 12 months to August 2025. Most recently, the Government has taken acti…

Deputy Clendennen has been a firm advocate for small family businesses. His voice has been very strong in that regard. We know many of those operate around the kitchen table; they do not have a finance or HR director. They employ two thirds of all people in our economy. That is why we have worked very hard to reduce the red tape in LEOs. We set about working through the centre of excellence in Ent…

I thank the Deputy for his strong support of the 9% VAT proposal. I know as tourism Minister as well that the key link in our identity is the authentic offering we have through our independent businesses like small coffee shops and restaurants. That will be key to the Government's response. We know the pressure they are under. There are over 240,000 jobs in regional locations and an €8 billion sec…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. My role and that of my Department in relation to tourism includes the development of national policy and the securing of resources to assist the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, in the implementation of policy. County Louth is included in Ireland's Ancient East Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2023-2027. Ireland's ancient east …

I am happy to work closely with Deputy Butterly on that. Another area I am actively working on is expanding the remit of Fáilte Ireland. One of the first things I did was to take a deep dive of the legislation that underpins the State agency. I want to include a restaurant sector. It is key as regards developing its model. Fáilte Ireland has focused on hotels but if we look further afield, our res…

Wexford will not beat Mullingar.

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government’s position and, indeed, that of the EU is clear: settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the realisation of a two-state solution. While decisions regarding the operations of individual companies rest with those companies, a corporate decision to engage in economic and financial activities in settlements poses potentially si…

I am sure the Deputy is aware that in the case she referenced at the International Court of Justice, Ireland was one of the countries that intervened in that determination to ensure Israeli settlements were deemed to be illegal from the point of view of international law. Our Attorney General went to the Hague to take part in that case. That was one of a number of actions taken by Ireland to hold …

Ireland has been a lighthouse internationally in supporting the Palestinian people. We have, as I pointed out, intervened in the case to ensure that Israeli occupation has been deemed illegal through a resolution of the court. We intervened in the South Africa case and supported that very firmly, as requested by the Dáil and my own parliamentary party. We have supported UNRWA and are bringing forw…

I thank the Deputy for this very important question in an area that we are really moving the dial on. Ireland currently holds a strong competitive position globally, ranked seventh overall, and first in the eurozone, in the annual IMD world competitiveness rankings for 2025. However, we cannot be complacent and work remains to be done in many areas. We are aware that there are significant challeng…

No Government has done as much for workers' rights as the previous Government, of which I was a member, did in terms of banning zero-hour contracts, bringing in tips legislation, introducing more agile practices in the workplace, the fruits of which we have seen and bringing in a statutory sick pay scheme. We turned the dial on a number of areas that had been neglected for years. It is my job and…

Let me bust the myth to which the Deputy referred. Our indigenous economy is at record levels. Currently, Enterprise Ireland is supporting 234,000 jobs in our country. Our exports, at €36 billion, are at record levels. Enterprise Ireland companies spend €39 billion in our wider economy. The Deputy referred to the FDI sector. There are some very significant FDI companies in the country that interac…

I convened the inaugural meeting of the cost of business advisory forum on 11 June 2025. In my opening remarks, I shared my vision and expectation that the forum would "create a space where businesses can speak directly to decision-makers about the real-world impact of rules and charges, and identify areas where practical changes can be made". The establishment of the forum delivers on a key commi…

The key area on which the forum will focus is the cost of regulation and trying to make things more efficient and easier for our small family businesses. I always point out that many of these businesses do not have a HR director or finance director; all their work is done around the kitchen table, trying to vindicate all the efforts they put towards employing two thirds of workers right across the…

The CCPC is a very important independent agency. The Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, is working very closely with the organisation on inflation in grocery prices. With regard to vacancies, there has been a challenge with recruitment. The budget is there. There has been a significant increase in budgetary capabilities for the CCPC but it is a very competitive landscape and the recruitment proces…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 ,10 and 16 together. I thank the Deputies for these important questions on the SME sector. Ireland's SME sector has faced a number of economic shocks in recent years and these have resulted in very significant cost increases. While most of these have been international in nature, with energy price inflation the most significant, there have been costs associated …

I thank the Deputy for mentioning those important areas. I turn first to simplification. I have met Enterprise Ireland and our LEO sector, and we are keen to drive the message home that we need conditions that are simple for family businesses to get those supports, critically in the transition to digitalisation and sustainability. If we do not support our businesses, it will not be possible to mee…

Absolutely. Retail is the biggest employer in the economy. It is so important to our vision for enterprise. There are significant supports already in place. One key example I always give is the energy efficiency grant. At the moment, one of the key ways we have to reduce business costs is not to take money off businesses in the first place. Front and centre of that is the energy efficiency grant.…

I thank Deputy Gibney for her very important question. Ireland supports the simplification and burden reduction agenda at EU level. Specifically, in relation to the Omnibus on sustainability, the proposals are intended to address disproportionate burdens on businesses, in particular on SMEs, whilst retaining key aspects in relation to corporate responsibility. In relation to the necessity to condu…

I am happy to provide the clarity. First, I agree with Deputy Gibney on the harmonised approach to civil liability. That would be important. We want to be careful about member states having very different responses, which could present a very significant challenge. We have made our view on this known in the co-legislative process that is under way. There is a lot of territory to be covered in this…