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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Damian Gleeson, Éanna McGarrigle,Helen Downes, Stephen Kinsella and Theresa O’Gorman | Photo by Eamon Ward
THE BUDGET 2024 has been described as the “most progressive” in history, as per a Shannon Chamber breakfast briefing.
CEO of Shannon Chamber Helen Downes addressed guests and professional services firm Grant Thornton clients, at the annual post-Budget breakfast briefing on Wednesday, October 11.
“Shannon Chamber will be looking at the measures being introduced to improve the delivery of housing as this is an issue that greatly concerns our members,” Ms Downes said.
“The lack of housing impacts companies’ talent attraction and retention policies as we made clear to Minister Simon Coveney when he addressed members last week.”
The briefing was hosted by Shannon Chamber and Grant Thornton in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Limerick, with another keynote speaker, Professor of Economics at the University of Limerick (UL), Stephen Kinsella, saying that next year's Budget puts Ireland in “an amazing positive place”, compared to 10 years ago.
“The Government has delivered a Budget that reflects the fact that Ireland is at the top of a very booming cycle, with interest rates bottoming out, and inflation moderating.
“Ireland is in a very different place today. Unemployment has never been lower, and we are importing workers. It’s not surprising, therefore, that we might consider this budget boring,” Professor Kinsella said.
Turning his attention to the new funds announced in Budget 2024, the Future Ireland Fund’ and the ‘Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund’, he said that, in setting them up, the Government is providing the foundations for an economy where we will have older people.
“There will be booms and busts, but we will have the resilience and the resources to cope. Had the Government chosen to spend this money, it would have caused more inflation and poorer people to be worse off.
“This is one of the most progressive budgets in the history of the State,” he said.
“Poorer households will be ten per cent better off, richer households 2%. Ten years ago, we were talking about national default; our biggest problem now is where to put the extra €10bn.
“That’s an amazing, positive place to be in,” Professor Kinsella concluded.
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