Dear Chamber Member,
I hope you, your families and colleagues are keeping safe and well.
As we progress through these extended level 5 restrictions we continue to work closely with government to seek clarity on decision making and to advocate for necessary amendments to business supports. Last week An Taoiseach Micheál Martin met with Cork Chamber and the Cork Development Forum and discussed issues relating to construction, Cork Airport and the Port of Cork as well as opportunities in offshore wind energy and recovery post Brexit and COVID-19 with this multi-stakeholder group.
On Friday we had a comprehensive discussion with An Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar TD covering items of pandemic supports, resilience and recovery, remote working strategy, National Development Plan review, the role of state agencies, city centre living, international connectivity, CMATS, sustainability, renewable energy and Brexit.
Separately, we recently made a submission to the review of the National Development Plan, which is available to view online HERE. In the submission we call on government to take an ambitious approach to capital investment spending for the region, and to align this with plans set out in the National Planning Framework and Ireland 2040. Government must also acknowledge impediments to the vision of Ireland 2040, such as apartment viability and affordability, suitable water infrastructure, URDF funding, planning and the speed of appeals mechanisms. At the same time it must progress solutions, as delivery on the ground is the benchmark that matters. Without this, the credibility of the plan will be undermined over time.
I would like to encourage all of our members to keep in touch with your observations and thoughts which help inform our advocacy work and invite you to attend an upcoming 'In The Loop' session which is designed to share more detail on our public affairs activities. This and other upcoming events including Cyber Security and the popular 'Greening Our City Series' are listed HERE.
Our International Team has had a busy start to the year in supporting businesses navigate the many changes brought about by EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Becoming compliant with the new rules in relation to EU-UK trade is not impossible, but it does require businesses to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of all the relationships and rules affecting their supply chain. We have put together a few tips for consideration which you can read HERE.
You can contact me directly on 087-9471858 or by e-mail HERE.
Warm regards,
Conor Healy
CEO
