Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Cathy Bennett (Councillor), Monaghan County Council; Matt Carthy (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Stiofán Conaty (Councillor), Cavan County Council; David Maxwell (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Alan Dillon (Minister of State), Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; Jack Chambers (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Simon Harris (Minister), Department of Finance; Pearse Doherty (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Rose Conway-Walsh (TD), Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas; Carmel Brady (Councillor), Cavan County Council
Intent: To encourage consideration of policy measures or guidance supporting the use of geographically restricted, closed-loop voucher systems under the Small Benefit Exemption framework in order to retain employee reward spending within local economies and support town centre regeneration and local business activity.
Methods: Email
Details by Method
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Communications and policy submissions regarding the Small Benefit Exemption (SBE) and the potential use of geographically restricted
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closed-loop voucher systems to encourage local and in-store spending
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support SMEs and retail businesses
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strengthen town centre economic activity
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and improve the local economic impact of tax-free employee benefit expenditure.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government policy and public investment decisions to improve broadband and telecoms infrastructure in rural towns, including enhanced reliability, better last-mile connectivity, and improved digital infrastructure to support SME competitiveness and local economic development.
Methods: MeetingEmail
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Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Communications-related issues raised included broadband reliability
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telecoms coverage in rural areas
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digital connectivity challenges for SMEs
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and the need for improved last-mile connectivity to support business operations and remote working.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government policy and public funding decisions to strengthen local authority capacity and investment in rural towns, including improved infrastructure delivery, water and utilities upgrades, greater local funding flexibility, and targeted supports to support economic activity and town centre regeneration.
Methods: MeetingEmail
Details by Method
Method not specified
Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Local government issues raised included delivery of rural infrastructure projects
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drinking water treatment capacity
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local authority funding and decision-making flexibility
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town centre regeneration
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and the need for targeted supports for small rural towns.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government training and funding policy to improve access for rural SMEs and retailers, including better use of the National Training Fund, increased support for digital and ecommerce skills development, and more practical and accessible training and upskilling programmes for small businesses.
Methods: EmailMeeting
Details by Method
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Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Training-related issues raised included access to National Training Fund supports for retailers
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upskilling of SME staff
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digital and ecommerce training needs
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and simplified access to IT and skills supports for rural businesses.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government policy and legislative action to improve safety and protections for retail workers and small businesses, including stronger retail crime measures, support for retail worker protection legislation, fairer legal protections for staff, and improved engagement between retailers and relevant justice agencies.
Methods: MeetingEmail
Details by Method
Method not specified
Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Justice-related issues raised included rising retail crime
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safety concerns for retail workers
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support for the Protection of Retail Workers Act
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engagement with the Retail Crime Forum
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and the need to address vexatious legal claims impacting staff and small employers.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government employment policy and Budget measures to support rural SMEs, including retention of statutory sick pay at five days, balanced approaches to labour cost increases, measures to address labour shortages, and improved conditions to help small businesses recruit and retain staff.
Methods: MeetingEmail
Details by Method
Method not specified
Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Employment-related issues raised included statutory sick pay policy
Method not specified
rising labour costs for SMEs
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minimum wage pressures on rural businesses
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labour shortages
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and workforce availability challenges linked to housing and transport constraints.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government policy and funding decisions to improve energy affordability and resilience for rural SMEs, including expanded grant support for business energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy installations, improved grid reliability, and measures to reduce the impact of energy costs on small retailers and enterprises.
Methods: MeetingEmail
Details by Method
Method not specified
Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Energy-related issues raised included rising business energy costs
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electricity grid reliability
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power outages affecting SMEs
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and proposals for enhanced SEAI grant support for insulation
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solar PV and renewable heating upgrades for commercial premises.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Budget 2026 funding allocations and associated Government policy decisions to improve conditions for rural SMEs and retailers, including targeted enterprise supports, training and digital funding, business energy efficiency grants, infrastructure investment, and measures to reduce the cost of doing business in rural towns.
Methods: MeetingEmail
Details by Method
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Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. The engagement included representations on Budget 2026 priorities for rural SMEs and retailers covering business costs
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training supports
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energy grant funding
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infrastructure investment needs and measures to strengthen local economic competitiveness.
Politician(s) lobbied: Niamh Smyth (Minister of State), Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Intent: To influence Government policy, legislation and Budget 2026 funding decisions to improve conditions for rural SMEs and retailers, including retention of statutory sick pay at five days, support for retail worker protection measures, reform of the Small Benefit Exemption voucher scheme, improved access to training and digital supports, increased business energy grant funding, and greater investment in rural infrastructure and connectivity.
Methods: MeetingEmail
Details by Method
Method not specified
Combined engagement including an in-person meeting on 6 October 2025 at the Courthouse
Method not specified
Cootehill and follow-up written submissions in November 2025 between Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD. Issues raised included SME and retail business costs
Method not specified
statutory sick pay policy
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retail crime and staff protection
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access to training funding
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reform of the Small Benefit Exemption Scheme
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business energy upgrade grants
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and rural infrastructure priorities.
Politician(s) lobbied: Unknown
Intent: Unknown
Methods: Unknown
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