This month, speculation about a General Election on this side of Christmas was finally put to rest. On November 8^th, President Michael D. Higgins dissolved the 33^rd Dáil, and Taoiseach Simon Harris announced November 29^th as the date for Ireland’s General Election. With just one week to go until polling day, political parties have outlined their visions for a sustainable, successful, and forward-looking Ireland and presented their policies aimed at addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges from housing and infrastructure right up to climate action and childcare.

For Dublin Chamber, this election is a critical opportunity to amplify the voices of our members and champion the issues that matter most to Dublin’s business community. Our General Election manifesto presents an ambitious vision for a Dublin that works for everyone, built around nine key business priorities:

1. Water and Wastewater Infrastructure: Complete the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project and the Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme by 2030.
2. Connectivity: Remove the Passenger Cap on Dublin Airport.
3. Public Transport: Commence construction on MetroLink, DART+ South West, Coastal South and North, and Luas Finglas in 2025. Complete Bus Connects in 2025.
4. Childcare: Introduce a public model of childcare provision and ensure that services are matched to population centres.
5. Housing Supply: Ensure that half of all new homes or 30,000 units are built in the Greater Dublin Area each year to meet pent-up and future demand. Zone more land for housing in Dublin’s commuter towns, served by public transport.
6. Public Safety: Make Dublin safer. Increase Gardaí overall numbers from 14k to 18k and invest in public spaces, lighting and cleanliness on Dublin’s streets.
7. Enterprise Support: Cut Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to 20% for unquoted actively trading SMEs.
8. Sustainability: Increase investment in Ireland’s sustainable energy infrastructure immediately, while increasing supports available to businesses trying to decarbonise.
9. Competitiveness: Safeguard Ireland’s global competitiveness by ensuring that costs to not exceed those of our competitors.

To give members an idea of where a number of the political parties stand in relation to these priorities, Dublin Chamber has created a General Election Manifesto Review. This resource provides valuable insights into each of these party’s commitments to fostering a vibrant business environment in the next Programme for Government.

As polling day approaches, we encourage members to review the summary and share it with your colleagues. Read our summary in full here. If you have any questions regarding the document, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at policy@dublinchamber.ie.

We wish everyone a pleasant voting experience next Friday!