Lack of trained construction workers 'a major issue' in delivery of housing, report finds
There is a significant deficit of trained, qualified construction workers in Ireland, an Oireachtas committee has found.The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan (NDP) Delivery has published its first report, which identifies a number of areas of concern for Ireland's ability to build.In the report, the committee said employers' group Ibec noted the lack of trained construction workers was "a major issue", and in the region of 100,000 extra construction workers would be needed to meet the commitments in the NDP.Ibec also outlined the need to "build resilience into our materials supply chain", as shortages are deterring construction companies from bidding on certain projects as they "need to charge too much to cover their costs".Delays in projects due to the planning process were also flagged as a major issue, the committee said. These delays "make it unattractive for private companies to bid to deliver large-scale projects". The report said strategic infrastructure projects should be "flagged by the minister, and these should be expedited through the planning process, while having due regard to public consultation and environmental matters".The committee said all of its stakeholders highlighted the "urgent need for multi-annual funding for any infrastructure project". "Currently, funding is allocated on an annual basis. The lack of security of funding results in projects being delayed," the report said. "In some instances, construction companies have indicated an unwillingness to bid for projects if the future funding is not fully guaranteed. There is uncertainty within the bodies who are charged with delivering these projects. There must be certainty that the funding will remain available until the project is completed."The revised NDP is due to be published next week, and is expected to include a further almost €20bn investment in housing, energy, water, transport, and health digitalisation. However, the committee said while this represented an increase of 12% in spending, this was "not sufficient to meet the requirements of Ireland’s growing population and inflation since the current NDP was published". "In addition, this €20bn will primarily come from windfall tax receipts from Apple and the sale of AIB shares. Funding key infrastructure projects of national importance should not depend on windfall taxes."The committee also said major issues in the planning system "can result in severe delays to projects, as any objection may result in a full judicial review and High Court proceedings, lasting several years". It added this "can result in a ripple effect where an environmental impact assessment may become out of date and have to be repeated after the judicial review has finished, adding to the delay"."Additionally, policies such as construction standards that were in place when the project was first mooted, may be replaced by new policies, again resulting in further delay. The common good should be given greater weight in the planning process. "It is the intention of the committee to examine planning regulations as they apply to large infrastructure projects, to explore this matter further."
