Public Policy

On Monday, Chartered Accountants Ireland hosted the second “Trusted Business Leadership: The Chartered Roundtables” event on infrastructure and the National Development Plan (NDP). Held at our Pearse Street offices, the event drew strong member attendance and featured a lively discussion with President Pamela McCreedy and Seán Fleming TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee for Infrastructure and NDP Delivery. The roundtable provided robust insights into Ireland’s most ambitious investment plan to date. Members raised questions around planning delays, judicial reviews, and the impact of housing and childcare shortages on business competitiveness. The discussion addressed operational challenges, funding, and the government’s proposed reforms, emphasising the need for streamlined planning and delivery processes and decisive action as Ireland’s population grows. The event reinforced the Institute’s commitment to member advocacy in shaping policy, and we will remain engaged as NDP delivery accelerates.   Chartered Accountants Ireland’s latest roundtable brought members together to discuss the revised National Development Plan - Ireland’s strategic €275.4bn investment in infrastructure and public services. President Pamela McCreedy opened the session, highlighting the Institute’s advocacy for members as the country faces significant delivery challenges.  Seán Fleming TD outlined the NDP’s aims: improving housing, childcare, energy, transport, and water to support growth and prosperity. Members’ questions reflected real-world concerns, including planning delays, judicial review issues, and the impact of “gold plating” regulations. The discussion highlighted progress in accelerating delivery as new legislation is being proposed to tackle planning challenges and the cabinet committee on infrastructure considered measures that could reduce delivery timelines for major projects by up to a year, as part of plans to cut red tape and accelerate progress.  Funding and operational readiness were debated, with a focus on protecting capital spending amid economic volatility. Other topics included the Shared Island initiative, labour shortages in construction, and sustainability targets. Historic successes such as the Ardnacrusha power plant project were cited as examples of what can be achieved with ambition and urgency.  The event underscored the importance of clear communication, transparency in delivery, and continued advocacy throughout the life of the NDP. As Ireland’s population grows and infrastructure demands intensify, members’ insights will remain central to shaping policy.  You can view photos from the event here.    

Earlier this week, the Government published its Action Plan to Support Market Diversification. With Irish businesses facing the unprecedented trading challenges posed by US tariffs, the plan’s scope, with more than 100 actions, certainly reflects the scale of the task ahead and the need for a coordinated national response. The plan also signals a re-commitment of policy focus toward supporting indigenous enterprise, something this Institute is strongly in favour of. With two-thirds of our almost 40,000 members working in business, many are directly engaged with Ireland’s SMEs. While foreign direct investment continues to constitute a key part of Ireland’s economic mix, these home-grown businesses (particularly SMEs) form the backbone of the Irish economy. Ensuring they are equipped to diversify, innovate, and compete internationally should rightly now be a primary policy objective.   In this regard, the plan’s commitment to “deepen agency support for companies seeking to diversify their export markets” and “cultivate new market opportunities, both within the EU and globally” will be welcome news to aspirant businesses seeking to extend their reach beyond the domestic trading space. Moreover, the establishment of a new “Market Diversification and Resilience Fund” will provide targeted assistance to both indigenous and multinational businesses most impacted by the trade difficulties brought about by tariffs. By next year, a new Trade and Investment Strategy will be published which will reflect these new approaches and position Ireland globally for the challenges of the future. For the action plan to succeed meaningfully, supports must be designed with accessibility in mind. Chartered Accountants Ireland’s May 2025 SME Business Sentiment Survey conducted with GRID Finance highlighted how many SMEs find existing Government supports either too time- or resource-intensive to access, leading to lower than anticipated levels of uptake. While the breadth of supports is positive, further steps need to be taken to ensure that business reliefs are not overly complex or difficult to claim. Simplifying application processes and reducing administrative burdens will be key to ensuring that any new supports reach the businesses that need them most. The action plan also speaks to an intention to fast-track visa options to allow for quicker entries of skilled workers needed in high-demand sectors. Talent is a critical driver of competitiveness, and faster entry routes will be welcomed across many industries, including the accountancy profession. Chartered Accountants, already included on the Government’s Critical Skills List, are among the most in-demand professionals whose expertise will be essential to guiding businesses through the current uncertain landscape. Our research consistently shows that in times of economic uncertainty, Chartered Accountants are heavily relied upon to help businesses navigate crises. We fulfilled this important role as trusted business leaders during the Brexit transition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently, during the cost-of-living crisis. Any new fast-track visa scheme should therefore reflect the importance of Chartered Accountants alongside other in-demand skills. Overall, this week’s announcement represents a positive, whole-of-Government approach toward safeguarding Ireland’s economic resilience. The challenge now is to ensure that ambition translates into action, and that the supports offered are not only comprehensive, but also genuinely accessible and impactful for the businesses that rely on them. We will continue to analyse the detail coming out of the action plan, keeping members informed of further developments and ensuring your interests are represented.

Cróna Clohisey, Director of Members and Advocacy, Chartered Accountants Ireland said “Today’s revised National Development Plan (NDP) is a strong statement of intent towards securing Ireland’s competitiveness in the coming decade. It is encouraging to see such significant emphasis on addressing housing over the next five years. 1 in 4 SMEs surveyed by Chartered Accountants Ireland in April reported that their business has lost employees or seen prospective employees unable to take a role due to the unavailability of affordable housing. “Housing is only one element of the puzzle, however. We know the critical levers to delivery also include energy and water, so these significant deficits in the State’s infrastructure need to be addressed holistically if Ireland is to fully realise its ambition of becoming a place where businesses can thrive. Today’s announcements are a step in the right direction. “Another of the most frequent barriers encountered by our 40,000 members is access to childcare. Despite featuring as a key commitment in the Programme for Government, the revised NDP lacks detail on how more childcare places will be created for working parents. Greater priority must be given to an issue that so fundamentally affects the labour market. “As an all-island body, the Institute also welcomes the focus in the NDP on the Shared Island Fund, and we look forward to engaging with stakeholders on how the NDP will deliver cross-border infrastructure projects.”