Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-16
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Conor Murphy (SF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I move amendment No. 1:
In page 3, to delete lines 26 to 31 and substitute the following:
" "infrastructure” means any infrastructure that enables essential facilities and systems of the State to function effectively and includes, but is not limited to—
(a) housing,
(b) health facilities,
(c) transport facilities, including ports and airports, and transport systems, including roads and railways,
(d) energy generation, transmission and distribution systems, and
(e) water supply, wastewater and waste management systems;".
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. We raised in a previous debate the extent of what was considered critical infrastructure. I move this amendment because there are very obvious things, pressing things, which we speak about and debate every day in this Chamber and, I am sure, in the other Chamber in relation to housing and healthcare provision and facilities for such, and there is the idea that they would not be considered critical infrastructure at a time when there is such huge pressure, particularly on housing but also on healthcare. I know the Government has argued that there is flexibility to include healthcare and housing, but then why stipulate some areas and not stipulate those two areas? That is the question. Arguably, housing is the most critical infrastructure that is required. It is the primary crisis facing the Government and has been for some time, so I do not see the logic in not naming it in the Bill. We put forward this amendment in the hope that the Government would reconsider the position it had outlined previously and consider including these two areas in the listed parts of critical infrastructure in the Bill.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-16