Government adheres to SFA's proposal to strengthened SME Test

The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment announced that it will revise the guidelines and template for the application of the SME Test. For the past few months, the SFA had been calling for the current SME Test on legislation to be strengthened during various engagements with Department Officials and Ministers. A strengthened SME Test was one of the key asks in the SFA’s Policy Priorities Document which was published ahead of the Local Elections. The enhanced SME Test will be rigorously applied by all Government Departments to major new measures that will directly or indirectly impact small and medium sized enterprises.

Minister Peter Burke stated that the revised SME Test will ensure that potential impacts on SMEs are fully considered, and mitigations are applied where appropriate.

The SME Test is an impact assessment tool that has been designed to assist policymakers consider the SME perspective when making any new policies, legislation (primary or secondary), or regulatory compliance requirements.

In addition to rigorously applying the new SME Test, Government has also recently committed to consult with business to identify additional areas across Departments/Agencies where the regulatory burden could be reduced. The SFA will continue its engagement with the Department through various for a to ensure that the SME Test is fit for purpose going forward.

For questions on this topic, please contact SFA Public Affairs Lead, Jonathan McDade - Tel: 01 605 1688 or Email: jonathan.mcdade@sfa.ie.