Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

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 action to address business costs through the publication of the action plan on competitiveness and productivity and the convening of the cost of business advisory forum, both commitments in the programme for Government. The focus of the action plan on competitiveness and productivity is action that can be taken to strengthen Irish competitiveness and productivity, which in turn will lead to improvements in our economic performance. The development of the action plan was informed by extensive consultation across government with external stakeholders. My Department held a series of bilateral engagements with other Departments in the areas of infrastructure, housing and research and innovation. A core theme of the plan is regulating for growth and controlling costs with 18 actions, including five priority actions, focused on addressing this key issue. Key actions include better regulation, which will decrease regulatory burdens across business, address high legal costs and improve competition in our markets.

Complementary to the action plan, the cost of business advisory forum delivers on the commitment to support small businesses, enterprises and industries across a number of sectors. The forum's key objective is to examine and identify the concerns of the enterprise sector around the impact of the rising costs of doing business by creating a structured space where business owners and representative bodies can speak directly to decision-makers about the real-world impact of regulations, fees and operational challenges. The forum has already met a number of times on energy costs, security of supply and insurance costs. The forum will also focus on other cost driver topics, with each meeting including relevant regulators and agencies to ensure actionable outcomes. The findings will inform a report and set of recommendations to Government to take immediate action to address these short-term issues that merit a changed approach for business owners.

See this speech in context