1078. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his views of the recent report of the Government's Cost of Business Advisory Forum and if it is proposed to implement the measures identified in that report. [63956/26]

In late August, I welcomed the publication of the Final Report of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum, which I established as a commitment under the Programme for Government to examine the factors contributing to the cost of doing business in Ireland and to identify practical measures to improve competitiveness.

Since the inaugural meeting in June 2025, the Forum met 8 times, bringing together business representative bodies, social partners, regulators, State agencies and Government Departments. The Forum's Final Report which examined a range of non-pay cost drivers affecting enterprise, including energy, insurance, legal services, water and wastewater services, infrastructure and planning, tax administration and regulatory compliance, and banking and financial services. It contained 63 recommendations aimed at reducing costs, strengthening competitiveness, improving price transparency and switching options, simplifying regulation, and addressing bottlenecks that impact businesses, particularly SMEs.

From my Department's perspective, this Independent report provides an important evidence base on the cost pressures facing businesses and identifies a number of issues that warrant further examination. Addressing these actions will require sustained engagement across Government, agencies, regulators and stakeholders to advance short, medium and long term actions that can reduce the cost of doing business, improve competitiveness and support sustainable enterprise growth.

Already, the work of the Forum is informing Government policy development, for example, its recommendations are helping to inform the work of the National Energy Affordability Taskforce, chaired by the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, which is examining energy costs for businesses of different sizes. In addition, I am engaging with the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance in advance of Budget 2027, and issues identified in the report are being taken into account as part of those discussions.

Reducing unnecessary administrative burdens on businesses still remains a priority. In 2025, I updated Government on my Department's progress in reducing red tape and simplifying processes for small businesses. And in August this year my Department is working with the Department of the Taoiseach on the Red Tape Challenge initiative, which aims to further reduce regulatory burdens for SMEs by asking Department, their associated agencies and regulatory bodies to audit permit and licensing frameworks.

To advance implementation of the recommendations and given their cross-cutting nature, a co-ordinated Government-wide approach will be required. Work is underway to establish appropriate arrangements to track and monitor progress. Relevant lead Departments will assess the feasibility, resource implications and potential impacts of individual recommendations and identify priorities for action. The objective is to translate the Forum’s recommendation into practical measures that reduce the cost of doing business, improve competitiveness and create a supportive operating environment for enterprise.