Infrastructure ‘needs upgrading’

Brian O’Mahony, Chief Business Correspondent

Population will grow by E1 million over next 15 years.

80% or E800,000 of that will be in greater Dublin.

EU funding to dry up after 2006 forcing more use of Public Private Partnerships.

Government spending on critical infrastructure declined 11.5% in 2004 against 2003.

Ireland ranks 15 out of 16 in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of our transport costs.

Ireland's stock of infrastructure ranked 11 out of 12 countries in the OECD data supplied by National Competitiveness Council 2004.

Current motorway density ranked 11 out of 12 according to EU. By end 2006, 32% of National Development national roads programme will remain incomplete.

Construction of M50 motorway started in 1985 still to be finished.

90% of household waste is landfilled against 20% for EU average.

Local Authorities had said 46 major items of infrastructure are needed to tackle the waste crisis.

IBEC says it is only right that citizens pay for waste disposal and water use as business has done for past 25 years.

We need the equivalent of one major generating plant every two years with 400 Mega Watt output. These must be delivered on time to avoid an energy crisis going forward.

To drive their aims forward IBEC calls for greater use of hard tolls and shadow tolls on existing and future national primary roads; user charges for environmental, housing and healthcare projects and the investment of the National Pension Reserve Fund in existing infrastructure developments.

IBEC also wants fewer State bodies involved in delivery of infrastructure.

In the run up to the next wage round, Mr O'Sullivan warned that "value for money" from the public sector would be a major bargaining point as a precursor to a new deal.

They have job security, generous pensions and good prospects, but they are not delivering value for money, said Mr O'Sullivan.

This is a management and not an ideological issue, he said.