State agencies including Enterprise Ireland and the IDA have been summoned to talks to Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke this week as the Government seeks to exert pressure to remove red tape for business.
Some 19 agencies operating under the Department of Enterprise will attend the meeting with Mr Burke. This includes Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, which handle exporters and inward investment, as well as a host of bodies involved in the regulation of companies such as the Company Registration Office, the Health and Safety Authority, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
Mr Burke is expected to tell them that they have to reflect on the processes and obligations they are putting on small businesses. A Government source said that his aim is that the bodies reduce red tape by simplifying their processes.
He wants forms which businesses have to fill out or statutory applications to be made more accessible, as well as cutting down on unnecessary steps by only seeking vital information which is in line with the size of the business and proportionate to the risk involved. Processes which will be targeted include applying for a grant or renewing a business licence.
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The Government has so far held off on introducing any specific support for firms linked to the risk of tariffs being imposed on exports to the US – and counter-tariffs from Brussels.
It has, however, sought to bring focus on costs to businesses to the fore – but has also faced criticism over some steps. Mr Burke brought forward 15 “clear wins” to support business, including postponing the date for the implementation of the living wage which aims to provide workers with sufficient income to afford a socially acceptable standard of living.
Unions and opposition have criticised the suggestion, with trade union leaders warning that backsliding could lead to industrial action.
A new SME test has been introduced which will be applied to new policies, with Government bodies required to do a risk assessment ensuring new measures don’t have a disproportionate impact on small firms – or to mitigate those that do exist.
It is expected that agencies will be asked to display how they have reviewed and simplified their regulations each year in a separate section of their annual reports. Mr Burke has written to the chief executives of the State agencies after reviewing some of their processes which he found to be “too excessive and off-putting”, a source said.
