The number of State bodies charged with developing infrastructure must be slashed to protect Irish business, it was claimed tonight.
The Irish Business and Employers Confederation said the Government had to take the radical steps to cut bureaucracy or risk wrecking the economy.
Mr Turlough O'Sullivan, IBEC director general, called on senior ministers to speed up road developments, boost broadband access and tackle the deepening waste crisis. "Rather than harp on about what should have been done, we should now be focusing on completing the projects that will bring most benefit. Future projects must be delivered more quickly and on budget," he said.
"Ireland currently has a vibrant economy that is not matched by a world class infrastructure. While a number of current projects will improve our position the reality is that we are in a catch up phase. We must plan for the future."
The IBEC chief said the planning, finance and delivery of infrastructure had to be streamlined. Mr O'Sullivan said Ireland was suffering from an economic infrastructure deficit. He said if the matter was not quickly addressed the competitiveness of Irish enterprise would be hit hard.
It is understood costs could increase while productivity dipped leading to a weaker economy and diminishing tax returns unless infrastructure was improved.
IBEC claimed Central Statistics Office figures, estimating the Irish population would hit 5 million over the next 15 years, proved urgent action was needed. "Ireland is far behind what we need in terms of waste management, roads and power generation. IBEC is setting out a new way to select, plan, finance and deliver projects to give taxpayers value for money," he said.