Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Institute for Management Development’s world competitiveness yearbook 2024 ranks Ireland 38th out of 67 countries in basic infrastructure. To take water as an example, Dublin City Council wants to build 6,000 homes in Ballyboggan but this is under threat due to a lack of water and sewerage infrastructure. The greater Dublin drainage project needs to be progressed. Nationally, it is estimated that we need up to €120 billion for water development. That is a huge amount and we need to focus on key projects as a result, through the Apple money and, of course, through strategic borrowing if necessary.

We also need to resource our planning system, as others have mentioned. Logjams are seriously slowing the process down, and that is before community facilities, childcare, schools, public transport, playing pitches and the other amenities necessary to build communities alongside housing are even considered.

There are also have deficits in the energy grid. Instead of being able to produce multiples of our electricity needs here and export them, and also gain revenue from data centres, we are competing with them for scarce resources. Even the plans to allow people to generate their own solar with battery backup are affected in a stupid situation like Storm Éowyn because batteries are shut off during power outages, making the stored energy useless. I acknowledge that is a safety measure for ESB Networks workers but surely there is a workaround, rather than having to be sneaky about it.

In this context, it is disappointing to hear that the much-touted housing activation office will have no legislative powers. How do we identify and seek to address barriers to funding and infrastructure for multiple Departments without such powers? That is a rhetorical question, unfortunately.

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