The most recent communication from Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Public Expenditure, pertaining to the progression of the National Development Plan, was announced at the end of the previous week. It clearly underscores that a lack of funds is not the obstacle. Pronounced as never before, the government’s investment in key projects covering areas such as education, healthcare, and public transportation is set to hit a staggering €13 billion in 2024.
However, putting plans into action appears more challenging. Donohoe urged his team to show greater initiative in the implementation of projects. As the Chair of Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board, he organised a meeting in January to discuss certain roadblocks, including planning backlog and the transformation of An Bord Pleanála into An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The absence of specifics about the decisions made in this meeting alludes to the muddle of deciphering solutions for the complications slowing down the building sector.
Yet, a beneficial suggestion on how to spur progress in construction emerged in a report delivered by the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC), also made public last week.
The NCPC, a government counselling institution, analysed labour availability in the sector and commented that, currently, it employs fewer individuals than during the Celtic Tiger period. After the economic collapse, the outflow of skilled workers and the corresponding decrease of people choosing construction as a career, played a part in this.
This void has largely been filled by an influx of foreign workers, whose numbers have surged to 27,500, a twofold increase since 2021. Although the majority hail from the European Economic Area, granting them the liberty to immigrate to Ireland, a substantial portion comes from countries like Brazil, India, Philippines, and South Africa via the employment permit channel.
The NCPC is of the view that leveraging the employment permit process to bolster the labour force can provide a provisional remedy. Even though this might pose a political challenge in the prevailing sentiment towards migration, it echoes the undeniable fact that Ireland is far from reaching its saturation point.