This month, Dublin Chamber brought a delegation of businesses to meet with Minister Darragh O’Brien and his team of special advisors. Discussions focused on accelerating the delivery of major public transport projects, including MetroLink, DART+ and Luas extensions, by designating them as "critical projects" to support housing delivery across the region. We also discussed energy security and affordability, along with progress on the Dublin Airport Passenger Cap Bill. We look forward to continuing our engagement with the Minister in the months ahead.
On 17 July, we met with Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Robert Troy, as part of the Department's Pre-Budget consultation meetings. Given the Minister's responsibilities across Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, we called for the prioritisation of insurance reform measures to help reduce legal costs and lower insurance premiums for businesses. We also highlighted our Budget priorities around SME financing, emphasising the need to renew the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland’s (SBCI) Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme and introduce a new Credit Guarantee Scheme to ensure that SMEs can continue to access affordable finance and invest in productivity, sustainability and long-term competitiveness.
We also made a submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála in support of the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project (EMWSP). We highlighted the growing risks posed by Dublin's reliance on a single water source and emphasised the need for additional strategic water capacity to support housing, business investment and critical public services. The project will strengthen Ireland's water resilience, particularly in the face of extreme weather, and help ensure infrastructure constraints do not hinder future growth. We have also urged Dublin TDs and Senators to publicly support the project and called for planning permission to be granted without unnecessary delay. Read our submission here.
We also met with Tony McCormack TD to discuss key findings of our quarterly Business Outlook Survey, including improved levels of confidence among firms and members' views on innovation and AI. We emphasised the need for continued Government support to accelerate AI adoption and strengthen business productivity, including through greater use of the National Training Fund to support workforce upskilling. Read our Q2 Business Outlook Report here.