Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ministers for being here this evening. I am conscious of our time constraints and a possible division bell that could go at any stage. I thank them for the opening statements which have been provided. I will start on the delivery of infrastructure. The Nevin Economic Research Institute was in with us yesterday. Infrastructure investment and capital expenditure as part of this budget was a key focus of its opening statement and contribution. Members of the Oireachtas for the mid-west also met with IBEC on Monday. IBEC was at the committee yesterday. A lot of the discussion was about the delivery of infrastructure.

A major concern for me is the delay in the planning system and the ability that has to frustrate investment into capital infrastructure in this country, whether it is coming from the State or elsewhere. Planning permission applications spending prolonged periods in the system results in prices increasing but it also affects private investment coming from FDI. We talk about tariffs and the medium- to long-term effects tariffs could have on investment in future projects in this country but, right now, we are hearing the frustration among private businesses with the planning system and the potential for abuse of the judicial review system in frustrating active planning permissions, which I see in a lot of cases. That is deterring private practice and private companies from investing in their key infrastructure. I will start on that and how the planning permission system is potentially frustrating infrastructure delivery.