"In Northern Ireland we need to maximise capital spending projects that will help grow the economy - not waste scarce resources on 'vanity projects'", the chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives chairman said today, “ therefore we welcome the suggestion that the A5 road project will be mothballed in order to fund the Belfast to Londonderry rail upgrade”.
"The A5 project offers very few economic benefits for Northern Ireland. It has been championed for nakedly political reasons by Sinn Fein and the DUP were prepared to agree - no doubt as part of some grubby carve up", Ballymena businessman Irwin Armstrong continued.
"David Cameron hit the nail on the head when he said that Northern Ireland needs to build a shared future and not a shared out future. We should be concentrating on capital projects which remove traffic bottle necks that are costing businesses money, rather than devising contentious schemes with political overtones. The A6 road between Belfast and Derry is a classic example of a much better project. It will offer tangible benefits to the west of the province.”
“We’d also be much better looking at improvements around Carrickfergus, the Sydenham bypass and the end of the Westlink at York Road, rather than devouring thousands of acres of prime farmland in Tyrone, against the wishes of farmers."
"The executive ought to be following the example of the coalition in London and preparing a series of capital projects for the next couple of years. Instead we have an appalling mess – with no detailed, up to date investment strategy, and yet another series of reviews delaying much needed capital spending on the health and education estate."
"If anything, the situation with social housing is even worse. The Housing Executive is in a 'stand-off' with Housing Associations on funding and the minister has refused to instigate reform. With the construction industry seriously struggling, sustained investment in social housing could create jobs and boost the local economy, but the Executive’s inaction has failed Northern Ireland."
"We all know that David Cameron's government has had to take tough decisions to deal with the mess left by Labour and the international financial crisis, however, Northern Ireland got the best possible settlement from Treasury - and the most generous in the entire UK. The issue now is how best to use that settlement to best advantage – and pouring money into a wasteful scheme like the A5 made little sense.”