To ask the Minister for the Economy whether he has had any engagement with the retail sector on achieving a net zero future.

My department has worked in partnership with Invest NI to deliver a new scaled phase of its Energy & Resource Efficiency (ERE) Programme for Business. The Programme includes a new Energy Efficiency Capital Grant Scheme (EECG) which is open to applications from a wide range of businesses across the North. Businesses across a range of sectors from retail to advanced manufacturing to hospitality will be eligible for the grant and enable them to invest in technologies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. It will also provide businesses the opportunity to access funding that will help them transition to more environmentally sustainable practices.

In addition, decarbonisation is a core priority of my Economic Vision and as such, is a frequent topic of discussion at all my engagements, including those with the retail sector. Details of all my external meetings will soon be published on the Open Data Portal.