Former ceann comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has said the Irish system of governance has created agencies to accept blame when things go wrong. Photograph Nick BradshawFormer ceann comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has said the country has “hog-tied ourselves to bureaucracy”, questioning whether the Oireachtas has the “courage and vision” to “throw off the shackles” and confront shortfalls in housing, infrastructure and disability services. In a statement to The Irish Times, Mr Ó Fearghaíl said he had raised similar points over the years at meetings of the Fianna Fáil party “but alas, to no avail”. Mr Ó Fearghail said the country should be grateful to Mr Collison for his “astute and accurate analysis of the stasis which currently affects many of our State’s bodies and agencies”. In his article, published last Saturday, Mr Collison noted that Ireland was not building infrastructure quickly enough to satisfy various demands.

Source: The Irish Times October 30, 2025 22:35 UTC