Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

In line with the commitments made in the programme for Government, a new infrastructure division has been established within my Department. Led by a deputy secretary general, this division is focused on how the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State can be accelerated. It comprises a blend of experienced civil servants and sectoral experts with direct experience in infrastructure delivery, many of whom have been redeployed into my Department from key State agencies.

The work of the infrastructure division is supported by the accelerating infrastructure task force, which I chair. This includes six independent experts with extensive infrastructure delivery experience, alongside six ex officio members drawn from commercial State bodies at the forefront of infrastructure development, as well as representatives from the local government sector.

The new division has recently undertaken a major exercise to systematically identify the most important barriers impeding the timely delivery of capital projects. As part of this work plan, officials met with over 50 key stakeholders involved in the development of infrastructure in our country and received nearly 170 formal responses to a public consultation exercise that was conducted in parallel. This was complemented by engagement events, including a session at the National Economic Dialogue and a regional event in Athlone in June.

Based on this consultation and research, we published the report on the emerging themes on the barriers to infrastructure in July. The report identified 12 key barriers to the timely delivery of infrastructure, spanning the regulatory environment, planning and legal frameworks, and internal government systems. It highlights the urgent need for infrastructure delivery systems that are fit for purpose, efficient and economically viable.

The infrastructure division, in close collaboration with the task force, is now preparing the final report and an action plan to address these barriers. I will present this report to Government in the coming weeks. It will outline a series of targeted, high-impact reforms designed to address all the identified barriers and to deliver critical infrastructure more quickly across the economy with a clear focus on reducing timelines and improving outcomes.

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