The Government's ability to deliver new projects speedily has been "the weak link" over the last five years, said Bertie Ahern, who voiced "frustration" with the length of time it took to get State-backed projects completed.
The Taoiseach's unhappiness with the State's "speed of delivery" had changed his attitude towards co-locating private hospitals at public hospitals on public grounds
"My whole personal opinion has changed. I would have totally opposed it a decade ago, but the fact is that I see projects going through Cabinet in 2000 and we are only just about opening them now," he told a Reuters Newsmaker event.
One major multi-national had developed a new plant in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, in less than a year.
"If that was in government it would probably take more than four years to do. It is entirely frustrating."
The Government frequently faced court delays for major roads projects and other environmental delays "but at least the snails and the swans are all right".
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern confirmed that had not intended to call the general election until later this week, but took the decision early because of President Mary McAleese's departure to the US.
The hasty decision has been privately criticised within Fianna Fáil, but Mr Ahern said he had not been aware until recent weeks of the dates for Mrs McAleese's trip.
Once he learned of the dates, he believed it would have been possible to lodge the dissolution notice with the three-person Presidential Commission.
"I wasn't aware until the last few weeks that the President would be away. I wasn't aware of the dates. But when I was I thought the commission was all right."
However, he said it had been pointed out to him that the Presidential Commission had only been used twice before: in 1938 and in 1992.
In 1938 it was used because the Dáil collapsed between the selection of Douglas Hyde as the first President and his formal inauguration. In 1992 the commission was used because Taoiseach Albert Reynolds' government fell over his row about the Beef tribunal with the PD leader Des O'Malley. This was during President Mary Robinson's absence on official duties in Australia.
"I felt that it would be totally inappropriate not to do it with the President," said Mr Ahern, when he took questions from reporters in Croke Park.
Speaking later in the Smurfit Graduate School of Business, Mr Ahern said he did not believe that Fine Gael or Labour would have "the intelligence or the guts" to change his policies if they were to win the election.
Repeatedly emphasising his determination to pay off almost all of Ireland's national debt over the next five years, he said the current generation had historic opportunities.
However, he said large EU countries and the European Commission were combining to launch another bid to force through common corporate taxes across the EU. "This is a live political and economic issue within the EU, and let no one think otherwise. There is a campaign that is actively being built around it."
The European Commission was updating its proposals, while the German EU presidency was holding a conference on the issue this month.
For now supporters of change argued for common rules to govern the administration and operation of EU corporation tax.
"This is not the harmless, sensible, logical, technical adjustment which some people are trying to portray it. We regard the proposal as little more than a Trojan horse for harmonised corporation tax, and that it why we will resolutely resist it and oppose it."
