Paul Brown CEO, Sisk reacts to the Irish National Development Plan Update
As CEO of Ireland’s largest construction delivery partner, I welcome the Government’s recent update to the National Development Plan (NDP) - a bold vision that ramps up public capital investment to an historic €275.4 billion from 2026 to 2035, including €102.4 billion earmarked for 2026–2030 alone. This marks one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in our nation's history - and one that our organisation wholeheartedly supports and is ready to engage upon.
Supporting Government ambition, ready for delivery
The NDP places housing, water, energy, transport, health, and education at its core, with €36 billion to housing and €7.7 billion to water infrastructure, targeting 300,000 new homes by 2030. We view this not merely as numbers on paper, but as a transformative opportunity for this generation and the generations that follow. Alongside Government, we believe the plan sends a signal for the industry to commence its preparation and response plans and the pending detailed Departmental plans will offer the clarity and scale necessary for the industry to prepare strategically.
Scaling our workforce: apprentices, graduates, new entrants
We are preparing to match the size and pace of this investment. Recognising the capacity constraints highlighted in reports such as Build 2024 - where apprentice registrations exceeded 20,000 in 2023, but skills remain a bottleneck - we are investing heavily in recruiting new entrants:
- Expanding our graduate, apprentice, and direct-entry intake programmes.
- Forming partnerships with educational institutions to fast-track trainees in M&E, site management, and MMC (Modern Methods of Construction).
Our goal is to build a robust talent pipeline that aligns with the NDP’s ambition - and helps close the productivity gap the sector continues to face. I remain confident that our industry can and will build the capacity required to support this agenda.
Acquisitions & integration: matching NDP’s strategic allocation
To support increased delivery across housing, transport, energy, and water sectors, we are pursuing a two-pronged acquisition and growth strategy:
- Vertical integration - strengthening capabilities in emerging areas like water infrastructure and low-carbon energy grid projects, funded under the NDP (€3.5 billion for ESB/EirGrid, €12.2 billion for water).
- Horizontal integration - broadening service offerings across our existing key sectors such as schools, healthcare facilities, transport (roads and rail) and regional community infrastructure.
These strategic moves will ensure we can serve emerging demand and deliver high-value contracts anchored in the NDP funding allocations.
Delivery: addressing capacity, reform & regulatory reform
While the stated intention of investment is clear, delivery remains the true test. The Infrastructure Taskforce has already highlighted delays caused by red tape and rising legal challenges - with judicial reviews increasing by 20% year-on-year. The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) echoes this urgency, stressing the need for multiannual funding plans, planning reform, and a pipeline of shovel-ready projects.
We support these calls. Our team is ready to engage with policymakers and industry stakeholders to ensure that planning delays, procurement bottlenecks, and regulatory complexity do not undermine the Plan’s potential.
Final word: momentum in motion
This NDP update shifts Ireland into a new phase. It is a call to action - ot just to Government, but to the construction sector as a whole. As a company, we are scaling, adapting, and investing to play a leading role in delivering on our national ambition.
By aligning our workforce plans, enhancing capacity through acquisitions, and engaging proactively in delivery reform, we stand poised to deliver - not tomorrow, but today.
This is more than infrastructure. This is Ireland’s future. And we are ready to help build it.