DUBLIN, Ireland: Prime Minister Micheál Martin has said infrastructure will take center stage in the upcoming Budget as the government responds to mounting pressures from Ireland's rapidly expanding population.

Speaking at the launch of the government's new action plan on competitiveness and productivity this week, the Taoiseach warned that services such as water supply, electricity, and public transport are straining under demand. "The area we're weakest internationally is infrastructure," he admitted, adding that the state must "sort out" long-standing shortcomings in essential networks.

Martin argued that official policy in recent years has underestimated the pace and scale of population growth, leaving the country underprepared. With Ireland's population now rising "exponentially," he said the government is "pivoting to intensive capital investment" to close the gap.

While acknowledging the strain on services, the Taoiseach also pointed to the benefits of demographic expansion. Population growth, he noted, strengthens economic competitiveness and has brought Ireland close to pre-Famine population levels for the first time in nearly two centuries.

The action plan unveiled this week outlines 85 measures designed to boost Ireland's long-term competitiveness. Alongside infrastructure, the plan emphasizes the need to seize opportunities in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, attract more foreign direct investment (FDI), expand exports, and support the scaling of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

"Competitiveness is about protecting jobs and creating new jobs," Martin told reporters, underscoring the government's focus on ensuring sustainable growth.

Tánaiste Simon Harris, also speaking at the event, cautioned that Ireland cannot rely on past success to guarantee future investment.

"We need to listen carefully to what people who are investing in our country are saying to us," he said.

Harris highlighted the importance of nurturing homegrown businesses, noting that Irish-owned SMEs still provide the majority of employment nationwide.