Earlier this month, Dublin Chamber submitted its 2025 Pre-Budget submission. Following previous engagements with the Department of Finance and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the lead up to the submission, Dublin Chamber has continued to actively engage with key stakeholders in Government to advocate for Dublin businesses’ priorities for Budget 2025. Additionally, with the launch of the draft revision of the National Planning Framework (NPF) earlier this month, Dublin Chamber has continued to reiterate member priorities concerning the delivery of housing and critical infrastructure.

Discussions in July commenced with a meeting with Minister for Housing, Darragh O’ Brien TD. Dublin Chamber underscored the urgent need for the NPF to reflect the extensive population growth experienced in Co. Dublin in recent years, calling for increased capital investment to alleviate capacity constraints and to support continued growth. Drawing from our budget submission, we also stressed the need to raise the Housing for All target to 53,000 homes per annum, with at least half of these homes in the GDA to address pent-up demand.

This call for action was reinforced in a subsequent meeting with Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD. Dublin Chamber emphasised the urgent need for more ambitious targets in the NPF, advocating for accelerated and transparent funding plans for capital projects. We noted that a commitment to improving and ensuring the earliest delivery of crucial projects is key to maintaining Dublin’s success both as a business hub and place to live. Key budgetary asks included necessary funding for infrastructure projects, such as the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project and Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme, as well as ensuring the timely delivery of transport projects, including MetroLink, Luas Extensions, BusConnects and Dart+.

Housing, infrastructure, and planning remain central to Dublin Chamber's business priorities. With the draft review of the NPF open for public consultation, we remain committed to advocating for further improvements to support Co. Dublin’s current and future growth. Our previous submission to government on reviewing the NPF can be read here. In Q3, we will be submitting further inputs to relevant departments on the recent draft revision. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at policy@dublinchamber.ie .