The Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI) has welcomed the Irish Government’s commitment to capital spending in budget 2024.

Secretary General of the ACEI’s Shane Dempsey stated;

 

“The government continued the positive trend in support of increased infrastructure investment in this year’s budget.  Infrastructure investment is a sustainable investment with huge benefits for the citizen and communities across Ireland for decades to come.  The Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund has been sought after by many sectors of society and the economy over the past five years.  It has the potential to underpin sustained and most importantly sustainable growth in the economy over the next 25 years.  In theory, from now on, essential projects that drive regional development, help Ireland achieve climate change goals and enhance communities will be ‘insulated’ from financial downturns and the vagaries of the political system. 

At the moment, the Government is turning to the construction industry to building essential infrastructure, solve the housing crisis, hire hundreds of thousands of people whilst investing heavily in digitalisation and ‘green’ construction.  This type of investment requires certainty and the strong commitment to the National Development Plan and this budget measure could provide both if correctly implemented.

The ACEI will continue to engage with the Government to accelerate the delivery of critical housing, infrastructure and climate change construction.  A critical next step is reform of the Government’s public works contract to optimise outcomes for the exchequer, the citizen and the wider economy.  The current contract leads to inefficiencies, costs and overruns in the infrastructure and housing delivery that could be reduced.”