Minister Chambers hosts public engagement event on accelerating infrastructure in Athlone
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From: Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
- Published on: 18 June 2025
- Last updated on: 18 June 2025
The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers T.D., today hosted a public consultation event in Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
The event, conducted as part of a broader public consultation, sought input from the public and stakeholders on how the provision of infrastructure can be accelerated in Ireland.
Speaking at the event Minister Chambers said:
"To understand the challenges facing infrastructure delivery in Ireland, we need to hear from you, the people living and working through it every day. Whether you are a planner, project manager, contractor, public servant, or member of the public, your insights will help us shape solutions that work in practice, not just on paper”.
Speaking about the need to support delivery, the Minister went on to say:
“We must move from a system optimised for caution and compliance to one that enables timely delivery. This does not mean removing safeguards. It means designing streamlined processes that respect those safeguards while avoiding duplication, contradiction, and delay. It means making timelines predictable and responsibilities clear. And it means ensuring that the rules of the system serve the public interest — including the interest of delivering infrastructure when and where it is needed.
These are not abstract problems. They have real-world implications. When the delivery of a school building is delayed, pupils remain in prefabs. When grid infrastructure is stalled, we run the risk of the lights going off. In housing, it leads to prices and rents that effect every family in the country. Each delay translates into higher costs, missed opportunities, and mounting pressure on essential services. And critically, delays in infrastructure delivery threaten our ability to meet our climate targets, to attract investment, and to build the homes and communities our people need.”
Minister Chambers launched the Public Consultation on Accelerating Infrastructure on June 6th. The consultation runs to 4th July and seeks the views of stakeholders and the wider public on how the provision of infrastructure in Ireland might be accelerated. This feedback from stakeholders and the public is crucial to identifying the key barriers to infrastructure delivery and ultimately improving outcomes.
As part of the public consultation, views have been sought on several key issues, including:
- how core economic infrastructure is delivered;
- the barriers to the delivery of transport, electricity and water networks;
- how these barriers affect the delivery of core economic infrastructure networks;
- how these barriers have affected organisations / sectors; and
- high-level solutions to address these barriers.
Details of the public consultation are available on the Department’s website at: