Ibec warmly welcomes publication of the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026 and urges speedy enactment
Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, has today warmly welcomed the publication of the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026.
The business group states that the Bill represents a necessary legislative shift to address severe delivery bottlenecks by mandating fast-track approval processes for priority projects and investment programmes. Ibec is calling on the Oireachtas to ensure the speedy enactment of the Bill to give immediate statutory footing to these vital reforms.
Ibec Head of Infrastructure & Environmental Sustainability, Aidan Sweeney said:
“To meet urgent housing, economic, and climate targets, Ireland needs infrastructure-led development backed by a planning, licensing and permitting system that is timely, consistent, and certain. The current slow pace of delivering projects in Ireland cannot continue, as it creates a recipe for long-term competitiveness losses and will hold the economy back. Ibec has long advocated for the prioritisation of strategic infrastructure projects, alongside more streamlined planning and consenting processes, underpinned by strong central oversight to ensure effective coordination across agencies and to avoid costly and unnecessary delays.
The Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026 is a vital step to accelerate infrastructure delivery. We can no longer allow key infrastructure projects and programmes to be subjected to seemingly interminable delays caused by a fragmented, uncoordinated web of planning, licensing, and consent processes across multiple regulatory bodies. It is vital that this legislation is swiftly enacted, which will also send a strong signal internationally that Ireland is open for business regarding infrastructure delivery.”
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