156. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide an update on the Cost of Business Advisory Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45349/26]

The Cost of Business Advisory Forum was established in June 2025 as part of the current Programme for Government’s commitment to reduce business costs and alleviate regulatory burdens. The Forum is a tripartite collaboration, of enterprise representative bodies from a range of sectors including retail, tourism, agri-food, exports, professional services and multinational firms, and senior representatives from Government departments, State agencies and Economic regulators.

The Forum’s primary objective has been to examine key cost drivers and regulatory frameworks, such as energy costs, insurance and legal costs, water and wastewater service, infrastructure and planning, tax administration and regulatory compliance and assess the impact of rising costs and regulatory pressures on businesses in Ireland.

The Forum's consultative phase has now concluded, the independent report and its recommendations are being finalised and will be presented to Government in the coming weeks. These recommendations are considered to address issues that merit a changed approach, and those steps that can be taken to mitigate these issues to ensure businesses navigating today’s economic landscape remain competitive and resilient.

The first meeting of the Forum took place on the 11th of June where numerous organisations representing Ireland’s enterprise sector were joined by officials from a variety of State Agencies and Government Departments. Members agreed on the thematic workplan which formed the basis of the meetings and in total there have been 9 meetings as follows:

• July 2025 – Energy Costs and Security of Supply

• September 2025 - Professional Services: Insurance Costs

• November 2025 - Regulatory Burden: Infrastructural Delivery and Planning

• December 2025 - Public Utilities: Water Services

• January 2026 - Professional Services: Legal Costs

• February 2026 - Regulation and Compliance, and

• March 2026 - Banking, Payments and Financial Services

• April 2026 – Discussion on the recommendations and final report

I would like to assure that the Government and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment have been and remain committed to backing Irish business and will ensure the actions aimed at supporting businesses in the Programme for Government are implemented in an effective and timely manner.