Infrastructure chief warns Ireland losing billions due to project delays

Sean O'Driscoll, the chair of Ireland's infrastructure taskforce, said in January that the country has been too slow to build the roads, energy systems, and water networks it needs. He warned that Ireland is losing billions of euros in foreign investment because businesses cannot get reliable access to electricity or infrastructure.

O'Driscoll, a former chief executive of Glen Dimplex, was appointed to lead the taskforce by Minister Jack Chambers last May. He argued that environmental laws have been used to block major projects, including a motorway between Cork and Limerick and a bypass around Galway city. The government has since passed legislation allowing certain public projects to proceed without meeting national climate targets. O'Driscoll also pointed to public opposition to construction disruption as a serious obstacle.