Cost of Business Advisory Forum

28th August 2026 | Advisory Reports, Reports, Research and Analysis

The Cost of Business Advisory Forum was established as a priority commitment in the Programme for Government. The Forum held its inaugural meeting in June 2025 and met nine times over the following year, concluding a series of thematic meetings in April 2026.

The Forum was chaired by Mr Kevin Foley (former Labour Court Chair and the current Chair of the Workplace Relations Commission) and Vice Chair, Mr Ronan Byrne, General Manager, Bloomfield House Hotel. The Secretariat support for the Forum was provided by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.

Purpose of the Forum

The Forum examined the structural, operational and regulatory cost drivers contributing to rising business costs in Ireland. By fostering open dialogue, identifying practical reforms and encouraging collaboration across Government and industry, the Cost of Business Advisory Forum aims to support sustainable business growth, strengthen competitiveness and help create the conditions for enterprises to thrive.

Bringing stakeholders together

The Forum brought together enterprise representative bodies, economic regulators, Government departments and State agencies, creating a platform for businesses to share real-world challenges with decision-makers and policy owners. The list of participants can be found below.

Key thematic discussions

Evidence-based discussions, submissions papers and bilateral consultations informed a Final Report which outlined a series of recommendations aimed at reducing costs and easing regulatory burden to support a more competitive economy. The Forum discussed the following thematic topics:

Inaugural meeting: Discussion on thematic workplan
Public utilities: Energy costs and security of supply
Professional services: Insurance costs
Public utilities: Water costs and wastewater
Regulation: Infrastructure and planning
Professional services: Legal costs
Tax administration, reporting and compliance
Banking, payments and financial services
Final Report and recommendation discussions

Report findings at a glance

Over the course of these thematic discussions, the Forum identified six recurring themes with one principle cross-cutting through them all, “a shift from a public sector culture that measures activity and process to one that measures outcomes.”

Energy is the biggest driver of business costs
Better price transparency and easier switching required
Regulators need to engage more with business
A new culture of regulatory reform is needed
There is an urgent need for legal reform
Limited business banking competition is driving high borrowing costs

Working towards a more competitive Ireland

The recommendations set out in the Final Report provide a practical roadmap for achieving this shift, but their success will depend on timely, decisive, coordinated implementation led by the Government. Embedding measurable targets, clear timelines and ongoing oversight will be critical to sustaining meaningful reform. The Forum’s expectation is that recommendations will be delivered with a defined measure of success, a named responsible body and a timeline for first reporting.

Forum members have decided to reconvene in approximately 6 months to review the implementation process.

For further information, the Secretariat can be contacted at CostofBusinessSecretariat@enterprise.gov.ie.