29. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether an implementation plan will be published for the 63 recommendations contained in the Cost of Business Advisory Forum's final report, with clear timelines and measurable targets; and which recommendations he intends to prioritise in Budget 2027. [66923/26]

42. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his response to the Cost of Business Advisory Forum report. [66661/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 42 together.

Just last month, 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.

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.

My Department will shortly follow up with relevant Departments on progressing implementation of the Forum’s recommendations. To support this process my Department has established a progress tracker to monitor implementation, which will assist in identifying emerging issues. This is particularly important as the industry Forum will reconvene in January 2027 and review progress made to date. It is anticipated that this meeting will include discussions based on the expected cross government response, which will also determine actions regarding the tracking and future circulation of the implementation progress.

Relevant lead Departments will assess the feasibility, resource implications and potential impacts of individual recommendations and identify priorities for action.  The objective now is to translate the Forum’s recommendations into practical measures that reduce the cost of doing business, enhance competitiveness and support a favourable operating environment for SME's and enterprise.

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 since 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.