Richard O'Donoghue urges five-year plan to fix housing
Richard O'Donoghue criticised current housing and infrastructure delivery, urging a stable five-year plan and tougher value-for-money scrutiny. He warned that shifting policies and inadequate water and sewerage investment outside Dublin are constraining delivery and local growth.
Infrastructure and housing delivery
Richard O'Donoghue highlighted missed targets, noting the government set out to deliver 60,000 houses this year after a 40,000 target last year but delivered just under 30,000. He said "common sense will tell you the infrastructure is not there" and blamed frequent policy shifts after changes of government for added costs and wasted investment.
Five-year plan and experience offer
He proposed a five-year business-style plan and urged continuity rather than changing direction mid-programme. Speaking from business experience, he said he is likely one of the biggest critics but offered to work with ministers, having met Ish Gairn at Boswell and asking ministers to listen to people with practical experience.
Water and sewerage allocation
O'Donoghue criticised proposals shown in mapping exercises that take water from the channel to Dublin, saying this was justified by claims that 40% of sewerage and capacity for population is in Dublin. He warned this approach is "sucking the life out of Royal Ireland" by failing to increase water and sewerage capacity in counties, limiting growth in towns and villages.
Value for money and audits
He called for rigorous value-for-money checks and audits, including auditing "each garden" where value is unclear and considering international firms that could deliver projects at lower cost. He argued greater efficiency would stretch public funds and deliver substantially more infrastructure if done properly.
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Thank you. To the Boat Ministers, I wish you well in your position. I look forward to working with you. As my colleagues have said, infrastructure is the main thing, and I went across the road today to Boswell to meet Ish Gairn. Now, I would be probably one of the biggest critics. I am in business all my life, I like value for money, and I don't believe they are value for money. But if this government could take anything, you didn't want to go into government without us, that's fine. But you still have the experience of people that know where there is value for money, and we can help. There have been mistakes made for the past. Your projections this year is you want to deliver 60,000 houses. Your projection last year, you want to deliver 40, you deliver just under 30. Common sense will tell you the infrastructure is not there. But every time there is a change of government, there is a change of policy. So if I wanted to put a business proposal to you, I would have a five-year plan. I presume you are scared of doing the same. Then there is a change of government, and you go in a different direction, and the five-year plan that has started up has gone out the window. You can't do business like that. So what you need to do is you need to look at the five-year plan that you had in the last government, and see how you can add to that, rather than going in a different direction. That's how you get value for money. So if you are halfway into something, and then you have to change direction, you are then incurring costs. When I looked down through the mapping that they showed us today, they were taking water from the channel and bringing it to Dublin, because they said 40% of the sewerage and capacity for people in Ireland for population is in Dublin. But by doing that, you are sucking the life out of Royal Ireland, because there has never been any delivery in the sewerage systems or the water systems in the counties that are there. You have never increased the capacity, which allows for growth in towns and villages around Ireland, which can become self-sustainable. That was a mistake that was made. This is what needs to be invested in now. So I am asking you for help in your position, to listen to people with experience. I will help you if you want me to help you. Where does mistakes be made? I will help you rectify them. If there is no value for money from each garden, I want them audited and then looked at other international companies that are able to deliver projects of the same size for less money, we need to look at that then as well. Value for money will make sure that the money that you have in the purse, we can deliver twice the amount of infrastructure if it is done properly. Thank you.
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