In June, Dublin Chamber welcomed James Browne T.D., Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to address members on the priorities of his new department. This engagement provided a valuable opportunity for members to raise concerns to the Minister over delays in critical utility projects needed to support housing delivery, while also hearing important updates on the rollout of the new Planning and Development Act.
We also recently met with James Geoghegan T.D, Fine Gael spokesperson for Dublin, to discuss our priorities for the city and its businesses. We reiterated our support of the Dublin City Taskforce recommendations, particularly regarding the proposals around public safety and improved cleanliness on the streets, while cautioning against a tourist tax for the city. We also raised issues around water and public transport constraints in Dublin and its commuter towns. We were delighted to engage with yet another Dublin T.D. this month to discuss the challenges facing the city and steps for going forward.
After close consultation with members last month, Dublin Chamber recently made its submission to the public consultation on Accelerating Infrastructure Delivery. Our submission calls for a fundamental reform of Ireland’s current infrastructure system. As it stands, the current delivery pipeline for critical infrastructure projects in the country is slow, fragmented and under-resourced, which in turn is jeopardising economic growth, housing development and international investment. In our submission, we outline practical recommendations to tackle bureaucracy in the planning system, boost accountability, and drive a culture shift within Government towards ambition, urgency and outcome-focused delivery. Read back on our submission here.
Nine months on from the publication of the Dublin City Taskforce Report, Dublin Chamber was glad to see Government’s decision this month to fully fund the report’s recommendations and set up an agency under DCC to oversee delivery. We have long been a vocal supporter of the Taskforce recommendations, and we are pleased to see funding and tangible output now going on stream. For Dublin to remain an attractive place to live, work and do business in, ensuring a safe, clean and vibrant city is essential, and these recommendations are a strong step forward in that direction. Read our press release in full here.
Dublin Chamber also recently travelled to Brussels as part of a Chambers Ireland delegation to update EU officials on our members’ priorities. We sincerely appreciated the time and warm welcome from Commissioner Michael McGrath and were glad to see priorities such as simplifying regulation and strengthening the Single Market front and centre of his agenda. We also had the opportunity to meet with some of our Irish MEPs over in Brussels, and we particularly valued our discussions with Dublin MEP Regina Doherty on the critical infrastructure challenges facing Dublin, and what can be done at EU-level to support. As always, it was fantastic to see the dedication of Ireland’s representatives in Europe and to engage with them on the issues impacting the capital and its businesses.
As part of our ongoing Budget lobby, Dublin Chamber recently met with officials from the Department of Finance’s tax unit. We highlighted our proposals for Budget 2026, particularly in relation to enterprise taxation reform. We emphasised the need for significant reform to remove excessive bureaucracy embedded within enterprise supports, all while reiterating our call for a reduction in Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on disposals of investments in unquoted, actively trading Irish businesses. We believe these measures would better incentivise entrepreneurial activity and get much-needed funding to early-stage businesses. We also wrote to Paschal Donohoe this month to highlight our proposals and expect to meet with him after the summer recess to discuss them in more detail.