Government to hit ‘nuclear button’ granting itself emergency powers to solve infrastructure crisis

marno21 · 15-11-2025 11:21PM #1

Business Post front page tomorrow reporting that following the report from the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, the Government are to bring 2 new bills to Cabinet on December 2 to significantly overhaul the planning process for major projects, based on the taskforce report

A new Critical Infrastructure Bill which will "fast-track a small number of highly strategic infrastructure projects through the planning process, requiring regulators, agencies and planners to prioritise these projects, also streamlining the planning process and setting tight deadlines for decisions.

The Emergency Powers Bill will be a ""nuclear option" for projects of national importance", allowing them to "bypass many parts of the planning process altogether".

They also report that the Infrastructure Guidelines, formerly the Public Spending Code, will be stripped down to essentials reducing the number of decisions and assessments to approve large projects

https://www.businesspost.ie/politics/government-to-hit-nuclear-button-granting-itself-emergency-powers-to-solve-infrastructure-crisis/

Podge_irl · 15-11-2025 11:35PM

Good.

kippy · 15-11-2025 11:38PM

Once the infrastructure projects are to benefit the majority, highly strategic and cost less to do as a result, I think most would be for this move.

Sierra Oscar · 15-11-2025 11:41PM

Good move, should have been down long ago but nonetheless a positive development.

walshtipp · 15-11-2025 11:45PM

Very good, hopefully it will do away with the NIMBYs.

emo72 · 15-11-2025 11:46PM

And they should also use nuclear energy to supply power. We've moved on since the 70s/80s, it's not the devil, and the plants have gotten much better. The French have gotten really good at it. Better than looking for shite from the Russians anyway.

GasolineAlley · 16-11-2025 12:01AM

If they use this to CPO the property of individuals they will end up in the Supreme Court.

end of the road · 16-11-2025 12:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123991610#Comment_123991610

actually no we haven't moved on since the 70s/80s as the plants haven't really got that better at all, it's hugely expensive and unreliable, and still requires large scale backup that could supply our whole power needs at a fraction of the cost of nuclear and could be scaled up way way easier and quicker.
lots of the french capacity is currently offline for unplanned/unscheduled maintenence and i believe there are issues around their designs.
time to move on, the nuclear age is gone for ireland, we have been proven correct in not bothering with it.

marno21 · 16-11-2025 12:56AM

Lads, this is not a nuclear power thread. Further discussion in the appropriate threads.

Thunder87 · 16-11-2025 02:00AM

I guess we need to wait and see what it actually means but great news if it's actually serious, we've had over a decade now of being probably the single best performing economy on the planet with next to no lasting legacy to show for it, largely thanks to the complete insanity around our planning and legal bureaucracy

Ozymandius2011 · 16-11-2025 02:57AM

Multinationals are putting pressure on the government. They are tired of how the Apple plant in I think Athenry was delayed for years by litigation, and how Amazon had to cancel a factory making server racks for Data Centres because of lack of electricity source. We are in danger of losing our competitiveness.

Also I think that we need to look again at the credit controls on banks, introduced after the crash. They used to be too permissive before the crash, but are they now too strict? Many of us who are middle aged and older are haunted by the crash. But has it made us too cautious about such things?

fits · 16-11-2025 06:32AM

After being put through the wringer For the last two months for a small mortgage top up on a small mortgage which is significantly less than twice our household income (even with top up) when we could go in and buy a car for much more within a day on pcp - I’d tend to agree that the credit rules need looking at.

Wanderer78 · 16-11-2025 07:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123991734#Comment_123991734

excessive credit creation lead us to the crash, so we ve been down this road before, the only other way out of that is deficit spending, i.e. government money creation, but since this will probably never happen, credit creation it ll be and further property price inflation, so, tis all good!

Bodan · 16-11-2025 11:04AM

It's about time as its badly needed.Lets hope it has a real effect in the next few years.

Cyclingtourist · 16-11-2025 11:18AM

The Irish media love hyperbole, everything is either 'catastrophic' or 'devastating' or when the government tries to streamline some process it's…………….

Still going to be challenged in the courts as the Irish love a good battle with the state, Daithi v Goliath.

thomas 123 · 16-11-2025 11:35AM

what current projects could this help?

Galway ring road maybe for one?
are we trying to build a new prison?
metrolink I suppose too

thomas 123 · 16-11-2025 11:39AM

..

Busman Paddy Lasty · 16-11-2025 11:45AM

MetroLink. Water from the Shannon. Housing and large housing schemes that have been objected to by NIMBYS.

It was on the news during the opening of that Arklow sewerage plant. It's first opening date was in 1975, there we have the grand opening with politicians a whole 50 years late.

Sam Russell · 16-11-2025 12:06PM

I think they may need a constitutional referendum to rebalance property rights.

The public good must take precedence over individual owners rights. However, this must be framed so the 'public good' is clearly defined in law and is not abused. Maybe a 'emergency law' may need to be used in each instance as a way to define when 'public good' is invoked.

The rights of tenants must be balanced against the property owners rights. No fault evictions must be outlawed, as the only justification appears to be an empty house commands a higher price than a sale with 'Tenant not affected' sale.

I think the framing of such a referendum needs to be very careful so as to not fall foul of nonsense politicking that has bedevilled so many referendums in the past.

The wording is usually overburdened with complexity instead of simplicity, and attempts to be poetic and inspirational rather than sticking to the purpose of the referendum. This was particularly so in the case of the eighths - trying to outlaw something that was already outside the law, and instead usurped judicial flexibility in hard cases.

I think the absolute absurdity is that of a judicial review being allowed because a person does not want a bus stop outside their house.

GasolineAlley · 16-11-2025 12:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992194#Comment_123992194

IDA's opinion of what is in interests of the public good would need to change. They would think nothing of CPOing private property to gift it to Mulitnationals.

Any constitutional referendum won't bring anything in to the control of the public. They will always frame the wording so that the power is delivered to the Dail, not the people and the Dail is controlled by the Whips.

greenfield21 · 16-11-2025 12:15PM

This is too late for Metrolink or how would it help metrolink at this stage?

Sam Russell · 16-11-2025 12:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992207#Comment_123992207

Well, there is some truth in that, but the point is that the current 'property rights' in the constitution is interpreted by the courts all in favour of the owner. Tenants do not get a look in, and neither does 'public good'.

Busman Paddy Lasty · 16-11-2025 12:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992215#Comment_123992215

You're right it is too late for Metrolink as is. Although the shortening of Metrolink did involve a lot of political messing not just cost so it should be a case study for discussion.

If McDowell and Ryan knew at the time they had no influence on major projects it could have saved a lot of BS being reported in the media.

greenfield21 · 16-11-2025 01:40PM

This is an interesting video from the HS2 CE on some of the delays to it. Some of the main reasons 1. Progressing with works before design completed 2. Non performing contractors and 3. HS2 not setup to deliver all stages. The usual really to strategic infrastructure at construction stage.

https://youtu.be/vZ5BWFJzhec?si=RI6V-Lu8Z080KyOM

markpb · 16-11-2025 01:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992207#Comment_123992207

That was settled in the Supreme Court’s ruling in Reid vs IDA. They can’t CPO land for future use like that.

Government to hit ‘nuclear button’ granting itself emergency powers to solve infrastructure crisis

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