Rose Conway-Walsh Questions Energy Costs at Cost of Business Forum

And I thank you for that, Deputy Gibney, and I didn't have an opportunity to ask you beforehand. But, Minister, this question is on the update of the Cost of Business Forum, which is hugely important. That was a newly established Cost of Business Forum that met recently for the first time. Costs in general are spiralling, with the cost of energy being one of the major difficulties reported by the SME sector. I was pleased to see the ESB and AirGrid are members of that forum. But can you confirm whether they indicated any reductions in the cost of energy? Thank you, Cairlach. I want to thank Deputy Conor Walsh for a question. It was convened the inaugural meeting of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum on 11 June 2025. In my opening remarks, I shared my vision and expectations for the forum to create a space where businesses can speak directly to decision makers about real-world impact of rules and charges, and identify areas where practical changes can be made. The establishment of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum delivers on a key commitment in the Programme for Government 2025. The forum is a subgroup of my department's Enterprise Forum, and I was pleased to appoint Mr Kevin Foley as Chair and Mr Ronan Byrne as Vice Chair. I believe that the forum presents a unique opportunity for tripartite engagement, where government departments and regulators will hear directly from business owners and representatives. I was very encouraged to see a strong turnout and diverse representation from enterprise bodies across retail, tourism, agriculture, small business and the multinational sector. At the first meeting, the Chair outlined the forum's operational approach, and the terms of reference were formally adopted. To set the scene, presentations were delivered by my officials on Ireland's economic landscape and by IBEC on the theme of regulatory ambition. The forum's purpose is to examine factors contributing to the rising costs of business in Ireland, including regulatory and infrastructural challenge that may require a sharper focus and a revised approach. It will also identify practical steps to help reduce these costs. To assist in the review, the forum will hold a series of follow-up thematic meetings on topics such as regulatory costs and simplification, planning and infrastructure, technology and innovation, visas and work permits, utility costs. It should also be noted that this is not an exhaustive list and will develop input from stakeholders as the engagement process develops over the coming six months. A high level of engagement is not only welcomed, but is strongly encouraged through the forum and also via the public consultation methodology, which is now live on my department's web page. Members of the public, as well as all participants of the enterprise forum and retail forum are invited to contribute to the consultations and submissions are open. Thank you, Minister. Deputy. Yeah, Minister, I'm specifically interested in the outcomes that will be from the sector meetings there. And it goes back to my question of whether you could confirm whether they indicated any reductions in energy prices. Energy costs are huge on businesses, as you know. And many of the businesses are actually saying to me that their energy costs are more than their wage bills. And we have to do something about that. I'm also keen to know whether there are any discussion on the cost savings that they have made being passed on to consumers. But working people at the moment are absolutely crucified with the cost of groceries, with the cost of just living. There's a strong perception that the cost of basic groceries has risen by a greater margin than the rise in the consumer price index. But recent media reports suggest that over the past four years, the price of a basket of groceries has risen by around 36%, while the consumer price index rose by 21% over the same period. Figures released earlier this month by Grocery Data Favourite show that the price of a weekly shop is rising more than double the general rate of inflation. Thank you, Deputy. Minister. Thank you, Cahirlach. And the key area of the forum we'll focus on, as I said, is the cost of regulation and trying to make things more efficient and easier for our small family businesses. And one thing I always point out is many of these businesses do not have a HR director or a finance director. All the work is done around the kitchen table trying to vindicate all the efforts that they put in and employ two-thirds of people right across our country. That's why it's key that we have all the regulators in, that we have those who make so many decisions, and the interoperability of those decisions with other regulators and what cost it has on businesses. And critically, and this is so important, that we have to get outputs. We have to see how can we make changes through this forum being a key accelerator of that to ensure that we're doing things in a simpler manner. And we're very much focused on that as a government. And as I said, we are at record levels of employment, but there are challenges, and I am acutely aware of most of the challenges in relation to costs that our family businesses face. But critically, I am demonstrating what we are doing about it. And July will be a very important month for our competitive action plan, as well as having our small business unit established, and together with our cost of business advisory forum. Deputy. Yeah, Minister, it's not today or yesterday that there's many business owners around this country who barely have a wage at the end of the week themselves by the time they have everything paid, all of the costs of doing business, and why so many businesses are telling us that they're under threat of closure. I also note, Minister, that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission are represented on the forum, and I certainly welcome this. The remit of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has expanded in recent years, particularly in light of the EU legislation aimed at strengthening consumer protections and ensuring fairness in digital and online markets. But are you aware, Minister, of the high rate of vacancies in the CCPC? As of the 9th of June 25, the CCPC had 33 vacancies across the various roles. So do you plan to recruit, do you have a plan to recruit these essential staff to ensure that consumers are adequately protected and that there's no danger of price gouging in the major supermarkets? People's food bills have arisen significantly, and it's vital that the public are reassured that there's no underhand tactics at play here. But the CCPC has to be fully staffed. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Cahirlach. Absolutely, the CCPC is a very important independent agency, and I know in relation to grocery prices and inflation, Minister Dillon is working very closely with the organisation. In relation to the vacancies, there has been a challenge in recruitment. The budget is there. There's been a very significant increase in budgetary capabilities for the CCPC, but it is a very competitive landscape and very difficult in the recruitment process. But we are doing all we can to fill those vacancies. It's one of the areas that was raised with me by the head of the CCPC when I met him a number of weeks ago. And we will ensure that it has the resources and that it does grow. And if you look at the growth of it over the last decade, it has been exponential. And there are so many European laws now and responsibilities that Ireland has very much an outsized role as a country on the regulatory environment. And it is so important that that organisation is resource. But through the cost of business advisory form, having all those key agencies in the room, from the revenue commissioners to the CCPC to on board Planala, it's critical that we try and see how as a country we can reflect things a little bit simpler for our businesses.