Where To Now For Jobs: Richard Bruton Interview
As Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD is the man most retailers are looking to for guidance out of the recession. Retail News Editor John Walshe questions the Minister on the big issues facing the trade, from the abolition of the JLC’s to the proposed Code of Practice.
What do you feel has been achieved by the Government since you came into office in terms of helping Ireland’s beleaguered retail industry?
The Government is very conscious of the vital role that the retail sector plays in the national economy. The Government is also aware that the retail sector is operating in a very challenging environment. Since taking up office, the Government has sought to improve competitiveness and increase access to finance. Specific initiatives have included initiating reforms to the Joint Labour Committee and Registered Employment Agreement wage settling mechanisms, improving transparency in the rental market, encouraging local authorities to reduce their charges to businesses, and stabilising the banking system to enable it to return to providing credit to businesses. These measures are targeted at removing obstacles to jobcreation and job-retention and thereby helping labour intensive sectors such as the retail sector to create the jobs that our citizens so badly need. It is encouraging to see the National Competitiveness Council’s report of June 2011 on Costs of Doing Business in Ireland, which showed that the Irish economy continued to improve in its competitiveness. The Government is fully committed to take the necessary measures so as to ensure that this necessary improvement in competitiveness continues.
The retail grocery sector is a massive source of employment in Ireland. How do you propose to help increase employment in this sector?
I am very conscious of the role the retail sector plays in providing employment for many thousands of people in Ireland. The retail and wholesale sectors collectively employ approximately 265,000, or 15% of our workforce. The retail sector, like many other businesses, has suffered due to the downturn in the last few years. However, the Government’s Jobs Initiative of last May was designed to restore confidence in the Irish economy, stimulate demand and help maintain jobs and create new ones. While our exporting sector is performing really well, we have to continue to find ways of stimulating demand in the domestic economy. I am currently working on developing a Jobs Strategy which will explore what more we might do in this area. I hope to be in a position to publish the Jobs Strategy early next year.
Many retailers are struggling to pay Local Authority Rates, which they feel are excessive in the extreme. How can this issue be addressed?
The setting of commercial rates is primarily a matter for Local Authorities, which come under the remit of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual Local Authority. Results from a review carried out by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on commercial rates for 2011 show that nearly all Local Authorities decreased their annual rate on valuation this year, or kept the same rate as 2010. This follows a similar pattern to last year, when 31 Local Authorities reduced their ARV and 55 maintained the same ARV as 2009. While this is positive news, I am keen to ensure that all costs which impact on businesses, including Local Authority rates, are kept as low as possible, in order to ensure a competitive business environment and to support economic recovery. In this context, I am in ongoing contact with my Ministerial colleagues on the need to keep business costs to a minimum.
To read the complete interview, see this months issue of Retail News Magazine
