Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
137. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on the workings of the Cost of Business Forum; the recommendations that have been made to date to assist businesses with their costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29604/26]
View answerThe Cost of Business Advisory Forum was established as a result of the commitment in the Programme for Government 2025, noting the increased costs faced particularly by small businesses in recent years. Since last June, the Forum has held nine meetings in total covering a wide range of topics and considering issues that may lead to higher costs for businesses in Ireland including steps that could be taken to mitigate these challenges. The most recent meeting, held just last week, was attended by all three Ministers in the Department, highlighting our commitment to the forum.
The Forums’ key objective was to examine and identify the concerns of enterprise around the impact of the rising cost of doing business in Ireland through structured engagement between enterprise representative bodies, from various sectors, alongside Government Departments and State Agencies. It facilitates a solution-focused dialogue between policymakers, regulators and experts, who have insight into the factors driving the rising costs of business in Ireland and enables business owners and representative bodies to speak directly to decision-makers about the real-world impact of regulations, fees, and operational challenges.
The first meeting of the Forum took place last June, where Forum participants agreed on the thematic plan and timeline for the meetings. This was followed by seven thematic meetings of the Forum including:
• Energy Costs and Security of Supply meeting held in July,
• Insurance Costs meeting in August,
• Planning and Infrastructure regulations meeting in September,
• Water Services meeting in November,
• Meeting in January 2026 focused on Legal Costs,
• Reporting and Compliance regulations meeting in February, and
• Banking, Payments and Financial Services which took place in March.
At its most recent meeting (22 April), Forum members discussed the final report and its recommendations. Business representatives reiterated the real-world impacts of sustained and increasing cost pressures and regulatory demands on day-to-day operations, investment capacity, and competitiveness, particularly for smaller enterprises and stressed the importance of presenting a report that will articulate both immediate practical actions and longer-term policy considerations, which are measurable and impactful in reducing operational costs and the regulatory burden on SMEs.
I attended the last meeting of the Advisory Forum, alongside Ministers of State Dillon Smyth, and noted the significant work completed by the Forum over the last 8 months and we reaffirmed our commitment to bringing this report to Government and to giving full consideration to the Forum’s findings.
The final report, informed by extensive stakeholder input and cross-government collaboration is expected to be presented to Government before the summer recess and it will play a key role in shaping future approaches to supporting a competitive, resilient, and sustainable enterprise environment.
