On the 2nd of July at Davy’s offices on Dawson Street, we hosted Brendan O’Brien; Executive Manager for Traffic with Dublin City Council. The meeting was on the topic of the DCC proposed Traffic Plan, where members got a status update on the work carried out to date and what business in the city can expect as the plan is rolled out in the coming months. Throughout, Dublin Chamber has engaged constructively and responsibly with Dublin City Council on this plan to ensure that it works for everyone who uses the city as a place to live, work and run a business.

On the 4th of July, Dublin Chamber welcomed Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Peter Burke TD, to the Chamber for our Meet the Minister event. The Minister addressed members on a wide range of issues facing his department, whilst sharing his vision for businesses in the GDA. Discussions chiefly centred around the escalating costs of doing business and the subsequent supports required, particularly for SMEs. In addition, the key role of datacentres in Ireland’s economic model was discussed, as well as Project Ireland 2024 commitments. Dublin Chamber will continue to engage with the Minister and his department on these issues to ensure the voice of Dublin business is effectively represented.

This month, Dublin Chamber also attended the launch of Enterprise Ireland's National Strategy Hub, a resource that collates 180 supports across various departments and agencies for a range of issues from accessing finance to sustainability supports to assist in safeguarding businesses. The hub was launched by Ministers Peter Burke and Emer Higgins from the Department of Enterprise. This resource is part of the departmental push for making accessing supports easier for time poor SMEs. Dublin Chamber is an active contributor to one of the departments SMEs working groups, which includes multiple agencies and senior civil servants such as Assistant Sec. Gen Jean Carberry and looks specifically at SMEs decarbonisation journeys. Through this working group, Dublin Chamber will continue to advocate for the needs of small businesses and ensure that their priorities are well represented.

Throughout July, Dublin Chamber continued its engagement with the Department of Enterprise on the topic of hybrid and remote working. Following a letter sent to Emer Higgins TD last quarter, outlining member concerns regarding the Right to Request Remote Work and WRC’s Code of Practice, Dublin Chamber met with the Minister to discuss the issue further. Key to the discussion was the impact on SMEs, particularly in relation to the cost of assessing remote workspaces, implementing necessary controls, and hiring external HR advisors to manage requests and arrangements. Dublin Chamber highlighted Q2 Business Outlook preliminary findings which reveal that almost two-in-five (39%) of SMEs are currently finding the Code unhelpful. Dublin Chamber recommended that any review of the Code should take into account nuances such as company size, sector, structure, and culture to ensure fairer outcomes for all businesses. Furthermore, Dublin Chamber advocated for financial supports to alleviate the financial burden on SMEs.

In addition to the above, Dublin Chamber was invited to the Department of Finance's Policy Conference in the Central Bank. This was the last in a series of events that influenced Dublin Chamber's Policy Submission with Government, outlining what it believes are the next big megatrends facing business and society. The event was opened by Minister Jack Chambers, with the Department of Finance's Chief Economist, John McCarthy, and DETE counterpart Dermot Coates outlining the 4Ds; Deglobalisation, Decarbonisation, Demographics and Digitalisation. These areas present many challenges but also many opportunities for business and are of specific interest for Dublin Chamber members in Budget 2025.