Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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414. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment how his Department is planning to implement the commitment in the Programme for Government to ‘cut through unnecessary bureaucracy’ for businesses. [17179/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government is clear in setting out the importance of SMEs to our economy. Developing Ireland's enterprise base remains a key priority, and we will strive to reduce costs, administrative burdens and bureaucracy for businesses. As Minister, I will be putting a particular focus on simplification and burden reduction.

At EU level, the new Commission has a strong focus on simplification and administrative burden reduction. This includes the appointment of a Commissioner with responsibility for Implementation and Simplification and for coordinating the Commission’s burden reduction and simplification initiatives. The Mission letters from President von der Leyen to each Commissioner have also effectively mainstreamed the Better Regulation agenda, with all Commissioners now tasked with reducing administrative burdens, including a reduction of administrative burdens by at least 25%, and at least 35% for SMEs, and reviewing the legislation within their remit. Separately, the European Council has called for a “simplification revolution” to ensure a clear, simple and smart regulatory framework for businesses, and drastically reducing administrative, regulatory and reporting burdens, in particular for SMEs.

The Commission Work Programme for 2025 places a strong focus on simplification and proposes a series of omnibus packages on the simplification of various pieces of legislation.

I strongly support the simplification and burden reduction agenda at European level, to maximise the competitiveness of businesses in the EU in the evolving global trading environment. The Omnibus package on Sustainability was published on 26 February and includes proposals for cutting red tape and simplifying the obligations on business in relation to corporate sustainability. These proposed changes will significantly help enterprise in Ireland, and most of all our SMEs. I look forward to these proposals being agreed at the earliest opportunity, to give business the legal certainty that it needs.

Ireland is internationally well-regarded in terms of regulatory burden. The 2025 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report from the European Commission ranked Ireland 4th in terms of Ease of Regulatory Compliance in the EU. However, we must not be complacent. Addressing excessive administrative burden and right-sizing the regulatory environment are of critical importance to our businesses - there is a need for our regulations, schemes, supports and processes to be consistent, necessary, proportional, and effective. Good quality regulation and policy provides predictability and certainty for business and is crucial for consumer and worker protections.

Together with my officials, I will continue to work with our agencies and offices to consider how the various services, offerings, supports can be simplified for stakeholders and unnecessary administrative burdens removed.

Considerable work has been undertaken by my Department to ease the regulatory and administrative burden on businesses as well as streamlining the support landscape with the delivery of the National Enterprise Hub.

The introduction of the enhanced SME Test has been designed to invite consideration of less stringent compliance requirements for smaller companies.

The SME Test is a tool that encourages policymakers across Government to consider the impact that any new policy, legislation, or regulation, may have on SMEs, and to mitigate against those impacts where appropriate. Through the SME Test, we are driving home the importance of the “think small first” principle and scrutinising new legislation, policies and initiatives to ensure that SMEs are not disproportionately impacted.

Updated SME Test Guidelines were developed by my officials and these have been issued to all Departments. Departments are now obliged to publish SME Tests on their websites.

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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415. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider extending the Cost of Business Advisory Forum to holding local consultations and meetings, to ensure that localised factors that can highly impact businesses are recognised and taken into account. [17180/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Small businesses are at the heart of every town, village, and region in Ireland, providing employment, fostering innovation, and contributing significantly to economic growth. The Government is committed to supporting small businesses and the Programme for Government places a strong emphasis on measures that we will take to support SMEs. We are working to ensure that the Programme for Government actions aimed at supporting small businesses are implemented in an effective and timely manner.

My Department is currently considering the optimal way to implement the Programme for Government commitments including the Cost of Business Advisory Forum.