Vol. 511 No. 6
133 Mr. Haughey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action, if any, she proposes to take regarding the huge escalation in commercial rents for shops and offices in the Dublin area in the past two years which is threatening the survival of small service type industries such as hairdressing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25315/99]
Rental levels are dictated by the marketplace. The rise in commercial rents in Dublin is a feature of the spectacular economic growth we have experienced over the past few years and is a cause for concern. The National Development Plan 2000-2006, contains a number of initiatives designed to alleviate the pressure on both commercial and residential costs and to ensure that the enterprises in the services sector, both large and small, continue to make an important contribution to our future economic growth. In particular, the emphasis on improvement in our transport infrastructure, the provision of water and waste water services for development of land for commercial use and the strategy to develop counter-balances to Dublin, relieving pressure on the capital and distributing growth more widely throughout the south-east region, are all examples of how the plan will help in this context.
