Why is the delivery of vital infrastructure so slow in Ireland?

Plus, how Lidl prevailed in the battle of the discount supermarkets

Listen | 44:53
Risk aversion, slow processes of planning and legal systems, and an absence of key specialist skills in civil service have all contributed to the slow delivery of vital infrastructure here. Photograph: iStock
Risk aversion, slow processes of planning and legal systems, and an absence of key specialist skills in civil service have all contributed to the slow delivery of vital infrastructure here. Photograph: iStock

The predictably slow delivery of infrastructure here has a raft of negative consequences, not least how it undermines our competitiveness in a very challenging global environment.

So why are vital projects so slow to get over the line? How does Government prioritise one project over another? And what can be done to streamline the planning process?

To get into the causes and some potential solutions to these issues, host Cliff Taylor was joined by chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council Frances Ruane.

From air fryers and skiing gear in the middle isle, to expanding into manufacturing and shipping, Lidl, part of the Schwarz Group, has evolved hugely from its early days of obsessive penny-pinching efficiency and prices written in pencil.

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In part two of this week’s Inside Business, Irish Times Berlin Correspondent Derek Scally joined Cliff on the line to discuss how this evolution and success has been achieved, and the influence of, among other things, Irish consumer habits.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

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