The predictably slow delivery of infrastructure here has a raft of negative consequences, not least how it undermines our competitiveness in a very challenging global environment.

So why are vital projects so slow to get over the line? How does Government prioritise one project over another? And what can be done to streamline the planning process?

To get into the causes and some potential solutions to these issues, host Cliff Taylor was joined by chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council Frances Ruane.

And from air fryers and skiing gear in the middle isle, to expanding into manufacturing and shipping, Lidl, part of the Schwarz Group, has evolved hugely from its early days of obsessive penny-pinching efficiency and prices written in pencil.

In part two of this week’s Inside Business, Irish Times Berlin Correspondent Derek Scally joined Cliff on the line to discuss how this evolution and success has been achieved, and the influence of, among other things, Irish consumer habits.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

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