403. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the progress made over the past 12 months on each of his Department's Programme for Government commitments, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71636/25]

410. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the progress made over the past 12 months on each of his Department’s Programme for Government commitments, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72195/25]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 403 and 410 together.

The Deputy has asked for details of the progress made over the past 12 months on each of my Department’s Programme for Government commitments. I am pleased to report that since January 2025, my Department has made substantial progress in delivering on the commitments set out in the Programme for Government with significant progress achieved across a wide range of areas. Our focus has been on supporting enterprise, fostering innovation, strengthening tourism, and ensuring high-quality employment opportunities across all regions of Ireland.

Employment continues to grow strongly, with 30,700 jobs created in the year to Q3 2025, bringing total employment to over 2.82 million. This represents an increase of 1.1% compared to Q3 2024, with regional employment outside Dublin rising by 23,700 (+1.2%).

Inward investment has remained robust. IDA Ireland supported 179 investments by global companies in the first half of 2025, a 37% increase on the same period last year, expected to deliver cutting-edge research and development and create over 10,000 jobs. IDA also launched its new five-year strategy, Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation 2025–2029, aligning with Programme for Government objectives.

Enterprise Ireland continues to drive export growth, with client companies achieving exports of €36.75 billion in 2024, up 7% on the previous year. Over 234,000 people are now employed in EI-supported companies.

Key policy initiatives have been advanced, including the publication of the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity in September, supported by €3.68 billion in allocations under the National Development Plan Review 2025.

We launched the Government’s Action Plan on Market Diversification and led trade missions to Japan, Canada, the UAE, and the United States. A Small Business Unit was established, fulfilling a key Programme for Government commitment, and we convened the first meeting of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum. Regulations were signed to implement the EU Directive on reducing administrative burdens and simplifying corporate sustainability reporting.

In line with the Programme for Government a key priority of mine is reducing red tape and simplifying processes for small businesses. Key highlights in this regard include:

• Grant simplification: The newly established Small Business Unit has reviewed all Local Enterprise Office (LEO) grant schemes, resulting in a reduction of application questions, down 47% for Business Expansion Grants, 30% for the Green for Business Grant and 28% for the Feasibility Grant with further reductions targeted.

• 'Once only' principle: Work is underway to merge application processes across different grants, ensuring businesses only need to provide their data once.

• Faster approvals: Enterprise Ireland has been tasked with achieving a 24-hour turnaround time for grant application approvals.

• EU regulatory relief: Ireland was among the first in Europe to sign regulations exempting 80% of small businesses from the scope of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with a two-year delay granted to others pending further EU negotiations.

• SME Test expansion: In 2024, 26 SME Tests were applied across 8 Government Departments, 10 of which were conducted by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. These tests assess the impact of new legislation on small businesses and propose mitigation measures. This figure is expected to increase with all departments mandated to apply SME Tests for new policies.

• Listening to businesses: My officials are actively engaging with stakeholders through the Enterprise and Retail Forums and the Cost of Business Advisory Forum to identify high-impact burdens and opportunities for reform

• Digital transformation: 95% of filings with the Companies Registration Office are now online and the Workplace Relations Commission has implemented Robotic Process Automation to streamline complaint handling.

• Business support access: The National Enterprise Hub has handled over 7,500 enquiries, simplifying access to over 250 supports from 29 departments and agencies.

• Regulatory modernisation: Updates to the Companies Act, the introduction of SCARP (Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process), and reforms to co-operative legislation are making compliance more flexible and accessible.

• EU engagement: The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment continues to shape EU policy through active participation in working groups, supporting simplification efforts such as the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and the forthcoming Digital Simplification Package.

In line with the Programme for Government commitment, tourism policy has been strengthened with its functions transferring to my Department and with the launch of A New Era for Irish Tourism, Ireland’s new National Tourism Policy Statement, and the publication of the Tourism Sectoral Adaptation Plan 2025–2030, the first of its kind for the sector. These initiatives aim to ensure balanced regional development and resilience in the face of climate change.

Innovation remains central to our agenda. Under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, €159 million has been awarded to 27 projects addressing major societal and economic challenges. We launched Ireland’s first Semiconductor Strategy, positioning Ireland as a key player in Europe’s semiconductor future. Additional commitments have been advanced through convening of the Employment Law Review Group, the publication of the Action Plan to Promote Collective Bargaining 2026–2030. The Employment Permits function has had a very strong year, reducing the backlog to its lowest level since 2022 and achieving the fastest processing timelines to date. The permit system digitally transformed facilitating the more efficient and secure processing permits with critical skills processing times down to 10 days. This progress is critical given the service’s central role in enabling business growth and job creation, supporting Ireland’s economic development over recent years. New categories of permits issued including town planners, and a seasonal permits scheme.

In the Programme for Government, there is a firm commitment to support the central role played by the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court in industrial relations and employment matters. A new chair of the Labour Court was appointed in April and the WRC continues to play a critical role in ensuring that employment rights are upheld for all, recovering over €2 million in unpaid wages on foot of 5,156 inspections completed during 2024. The WRC plays a leading role in contributing to the harmonious industrial relations climate with data for conciliation services showing an 85% success rate.

I secured Government agreement to adopt a distributed model of implementation of the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. This approach will build on the deep knowledge and expertise of the established sectoral regulators. Following this in September 2025 a national single point of contact has also been established within the department to streamline coordination between Irish regulators, the European Commission, and stakeholders. The Single Point of Contact serves as the interface with the public, other Member States, and EU-level counterparts with its purpose to streamline communication and coordination for the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act.

Over the last 18 months my Department’s Officials have been putting in place the structures for a successful Presidency and have been working through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Interdepartmental Groups on Presidency Policy Priorities and Operation Planning on progressing Ireland’s policy priorities and operational planning for the Presidency. This work will continue right up to 1st July 2026 when Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. My Department’s Presidency Planning Team will continue to collaborate across government to ensure that all perspectives are heard and considered in a fair and inclusive manner.

In line with commitments in the Programme for Government my Department continued work to strengthen the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. the CCPC to strengthen its mandate through the addition to and enhancement of its senior leadership team. In addition, the recruitment of an additional CCPC Member is ongoing, and the CCPC has recently commenced the recruitment of two Senior Directors who will have a direct role in supporting the Members to ensure it can continue to deliver on its important brief. In parallel, the Department is reviewing the legislative framework governing consumer protection fines. Future penalties are expected to align with those applicable to competition law infringements, ensuring greater consistency and impact across the regulatory landscape.

Further progress includes commissioning research to inform the review of Personal Injuries Guidelines, launch of the new Action Plan for Insurance Reform which 11 actions for delivery by my Department and new mediation service from the Personal Injuries Resolution Board. I have also launched a public consultation on the new National Life Sciences Strategy, and announced €170 million investment in European Space Agency programmes to support innovation and technology commercialisation.

Supported by Ministers Dillon and Smyth good progress is being made across all relevant commitments beyond the main achievements highlighted above, in fulfilment of the Programme for Government. Full details of these achievements and ongoing initiatives will be published in the Department’s Annual Report for 2025.