The Taoiseach is expected to signal the repeal of more than 100 pre-1922 acts today, as the start of a drive to remove or amend outdated legislation.

Some of the acts involved are historical curiosities covering areas such as chimney sweeps, but others can cause difficulties to business and add costs, Mr Ahern will tell an IBEC conference on regulation this morning.

A public consultation process on the acts targeted for abolition is expected and further redundant legislation may come to light during this process.

Among the acts expected to be targeted are curiosities such as the 1875 Chimney Sweepers Act and the 1846 Baths and Warehouses Act.

All the acts targeted pre-date the foundation of the State but many still impact on business.

The next stage of the process will be to identify pre-1922 legislation which is still relevant but which in many cases needs to be updated to reflect the enormous changes in the economy and society in the interim. In this regard, an examination is under way on land and conveyancing law.

The removal of outdated legislation was one of the issues highlighted in the Government White Paper on regulation, published in January, which followed a major consultation process.

The Taoiseach is also expected to signal that the Government will push ahead with implementing the other main policy measures identified in the White Paper. These include the introduction of regulatory impact analysis to assess the costs and benefits of new measures, reviews of the regulatory regime in different areas and general moves to reduce the burden or bureaucracy on business.

Mr Ahern is expected to signal that the Government will push ahead with the establishment of a special group to oversee implementation of the White Paper - a move that will be welcomed by business lobby groups, which have been complaining about the impact of a range of regulations and costs.

The Taoiseach is also expected to highlight the commitment of the Irish EU Presidency to regulatory reform at EU level. Much of the regulation affecting business now originates in Brussels and addressing the costs this imposes is a key part of the Lisbon Agenda, which aims to make the EU more competitive.

The Government set up a joint initiative on the issue with the next three EU presidencies, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Britain, but Mr Ahern will underline the importance of following this up with action at EU and national level.

Progress is due to be reviewed at the November EU summit under the Dutch presidency.

Today's IBEC conference will also be addressed by senior officials from the EU and the US, as well as Mr Niall Fitzgerald, the former Unilever chief executive who will take up the position of Reuters chairman in October. He is co-chairman of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue, a group which supports enhanced co-operation between the US and the EU and his views on the regulatory regime on both sides of the Atlantic will be keenly assessed.