European Union
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

It is important that I be crystal clear on this matter. The Government's position is that simplification must be about better regulation, not deregulation. We need to reduce the regulatory burden, particularly for SMEs, while maintaining high ambition in terms of protections, including environmental, human health, privacy and a range of other standards. The omnibus proposal is not actually an omnibus; it comprises ten pieces of legislation and we are referring to just one element here.
The role of the Department of foreign affairs is to co-ordinate all Government responses to the proposal. Some of them will come from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and Deputy Gibney has referenced the role of the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth. Others will come from the Department of Health, the Department of the environment and so on. It is really important that our legislative approach be in line with core better regulation principles and the inter-institutional agreement on better law-making while prioritising smarter, simpler and more streamlined regulations. The Government recognises the importance of regulation, crucially to ensure markets operate efficiently and fairly. That in no way waters down our recognition that we also need to protect consumers in a range of areas.
In that context, it is important that regulations are targeted and proportionate to the policy objective, whether it is to protect consumers and citizens or to promote competitiveness and innovation. That is why the Government had advocated for a dynamic, ambitious and risk-based approach focused on removing regulatory overlaps and administrative burdens, for example, while also supporting compliance. This package was introduced in November. We are in the position of working through it in each of the different frameworks and policy areas. I hear the Deputies' concerns. They are valid and they need to be worked through. However, I do not necessarily conflate seeking to make things more simplified and more competitive with a rush to deregulate and some form of race to the bottom. I reject that assertion. It is worth working through this process in its entirety.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-05