Delivery paramount to the success of New Competitiveness and Productivity Action Plan, say Chambers Ireland
Chambers Ireland have broadly welcomed the New Competitiveness and Productivity Action Plan announced by Government earlier today but cautioned that delivery will be critical.
Speaking earlier today, Chief Executive Ian Talbot welcomed the commitment to accelerating infrastructure:
“We now have a plan but delivering on its objectives will be paramount to its success. Competitiveness should relentlessly focus on delivering infrastructure, easing the cost of doing business, keeping goldplating to a minimum when implementing or transposing legislation, reducing the regulatory burden for companies and helping deliver new opportunities.
We particularly support the renewed focus on the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce and the commitments for increased resources for the courts system. Rapidly delivering infrastructure will be essential to support the daily operations of businesses while also helping indigenous companies to scale without constraint. It will be equally important in further attracting investment, particularly as AI and other innovative technologies now constitute the next wave of FDI.
The commitments to completing the Single Market, advancing skills initiatives, and enhancing the R&D Tax Credit are steps in the right direction, as are the commitments to review initiatives like the Employment Investment Incentive Scheme and the Key Employee Engagement Programme. These are all actions which we have consistently called for in recent years to help businesses remain competitive.
Any such reviews must lead to tangible outcomes, with clear timelines and accountability to ensure that they deliver real improvements for businesses and the wider economy.”
He noted that some important priorities were overlooked:
“We would have liked to see a clear commitment to holding a referendum on the Unified Patent Court (UPC). Doing so would be a decisive step in ensuring more businesses here have increased access to more affordable patent protection. We are also disappointed that there was no commitment to advancing Free Trade Agreements, such as Mercosur, which are critical to opening new markets and supporting growth at a time of global uncertainty.”