Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-04
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Aidan Davitt (FF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I move:
That Seanad Éireann:
notes:
- the publication of the Government’s Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan;
- that major strategic infrastructure projects are now taking significantly longer to plan and deliver than in previous decades, with delivery timelines in some sectors having doubled;
- the evidence within the report that delays in the delivery of critical infrastructure including water, energy and transport are acting as constraints on housing delivery, balanced regional development, economic competitiveness and climate transition;
- the report’s identification of legal, regulatory and coordination processes as contributing to extended project timelines;
- the report’s emphasis on the need for improved coordination between State agencies involved in infrastructure delivery;
recognises:
- that Ireland is investing unprecedented levels of capital funding in infrastructure through the new National Development Plan published last year;
- that funding alone will not resolve delivery challenges without systemic reform of planning, legal, regulatory and procurement processes;
- the importance of maintaining robust environmental standards and access to justice while ensuring that nationally significant infrastructure can be delivered in a timely manner;
welcomes:
- the clear acknowledgement within the action plan that delays in infrastructure delivery have become a structural constraint on housing supply, balanced regional development and economic growth;
- the Government’s commitment to streamlining decision-making and reducing duplication across regulatory systems, in order to address avoidable delays arising from sequential consenting processes;
- the action plan’s focus on improving coordination across State agencies, strengthening delivery capacity and improving public engagement processes to support the timely rollout of enabling infrastructure;
- the proposal to enhance strategic planning and prioritisation of nationally significant projects;
- the commitment to improving public engagement and transparency in order to build public confidence in infrastructure delivery;
- the intention to leverage innovation, digitalisation and improved procurement practices to accelerate project timelines and translate investment into delivery;
- the scale of investment committed by the State under the National Development Plan to support and drive the acceleration of infrastructure across the country;
calls on the Government to:
- prioritise the full and timely implementation of the Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan;
- bring forward the necessary legislative measures to support more efficient delivery of critical infrastructure projects;
- improve coordination between State bodies, utilities and local authorities to support infrastructure-led housing delivery;
- invest in delivery capacity across the planning, legal and construction systems; and
- report regularly to the Houses of the Oireachtas on progress in implementing the action plan and reducing infrastructure delivery timelines.
This accelerated infrastructure report is a fine and badly needed report to streamline assist the Minister and the various Departments in the large infrastructure projects we have taken account of in the programme for Government. The Minister has a list of 30 different actions as part of his plan. Again, there is no point in crossing over the whole report and plan but I will discuss some of the most important actions.
One is to reform judicial review. As we know, the courts have delayed quite a lot of heavy infrastructure plans and projects and have slowed them by numerous years. I am sure the Minister might go into some detail with respect to some of the projects that have been so badly waylaid. This plan is going to streamline a lot of that awkwardness that was within the system, particularly for major infrastructure plans, as is indicated in this report.
There are a few other things that caught my eye. Enabling developer-led infrastructure is one, especially where we have had blockages with ESB, sewerage and general basics that are needed to have a site up and running. Some of these have been bogged down physically and legally. Again, this plan is targeting that particular section to progress.
The reformative procurement process is another part of the 30 actions of the plan. That is a very important part. Some of the regulation can onerous in relation to time. Particularly, the time to make decisions in some of these processes is certainly outweighing the cost benefits because they are taking so long that a lot of the costs have gone up in the meantime. We have seen that and it has really cost the State on several occasions instead of saving the State money, as it has happened.
They are the ones that really caught my eye when I went through the general headings. Again, one I would know a good bit about is the aim to increase the construction sector capacity and productivity. We are looking at different methods, different training and enabling a different set of workers who maybe heretofore have not been involved in the industry. That is another that will certainly be a help.
I thank the Cathaoirleach for the time. I welcome the Minister to the House. He is one of the most active Ministers that we have with his busy portfolio, so I thank him very much.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:43+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-04