Increased charges should be levied on those who use parts of the State's infrastructure, such as roads and sanitation, according to the NESC report.
The report says "infrastructure must be paid for" and while the Government should keep an open mind, an increased range of charges must be considered. The report says excessive Government borrowing is either not possible, or "deemed undesirable" in the current environment.
It says against this background, "alternative means to finance the necessary infrastructure provision" must be found. It says the Government is already doing this to an extent via the Planning and Development Act, but more measures need to be looked at.
In relation to how the charges might work, the report says a case-by-case analysis is required. "However the Council cautions against the introduction of purely cost-reflective pricing without consideration of the other important objectives to be fulfilled through the provision of infrastructure".
The report warns that consumers should not have to pay costs which are greater than their use of an infrastructural asset. It also says if the Government is trying to achieve certain social objectives, the charges might have to be higher.
The report says certain infrastructure is so important that it cannot be left entirely to the market. It includes electricity in this area. It urges the Government to set up an agency to ensure that the State has a sufficient electricity supply.
However, the report complements the Government's efforts in the area of broadband technologies. "The Council welcomes the pump-priming of the market in advanced broadband technologies to leverage additional private sector investment".
But the report is less pleased about the level of progress in relation to the problem of waste. "At present the problem seems to be passed from one agent to another," it says.
It says there are three main problems:
• Overly optimistic recycling targets may mask the need for more concerted incineration and landfill;
• Much of the State's waste is imported from abroad;
• There is a tension between an "enhanced civic culture" and the incentive to "free ride".
"Given the lack of co-ordination between all agents, many can free ride. The drive to tackle waste management ought to encompass all of civil society and incorporate not only waste management companies and local authorities, but also enchanced producer and consumer responsibility," says the report.
The report says planning throughout the State needs improving and this would also help get infrastructure projects advanced.
"The Council believes that a national strategic planning authority is required to facilitate the planning and implementation of national infrastructure programmes in a co-ordinated manner," it says.
It says there are several ways to do this, including strengthening the role of An Bord Pleanála. The report says whatever options emerge, the "fast tracking" of infrastructural projects is badly needed.
The report says Ireland suffers from urban sprawl and poor planning decisions in rural areas. It calls for a much more structured set of guidelines to cover settlement density, rural dwellings and renewable energy projects.
In a section which may disappoint Aer Lingus, the report says increasing consolidation in the airline business "raises the question of the ongoing need for a national carrier".