Cootehill Chamber of Commerce

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Politician(s) lobbied: Unknown

Intent: Unknown

Methods: Unknown