Allister says A5 is a political project, not a roads project
14 February 2011
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
“Whereas a genuine Public Inquiry process into the A5 project is essential, today’s announcement by Conor Murphy smacks more of a determination on his part to push this political project beyond the point of no return before he, hopefully, leaves office. His decision is made all the more premature by virtue of the huge uncertainty which hangs over the funding of his pet cross-border scheme.
“The building of a motorway from Dublin to Donegal, through lush farmland in County Tyrone, is not a roads project, but a political project. It is not necessary to the infrastructural needs of Northern Ireland.
“But it is also a project for which there is no guarantee of funding. A promised contribution from the Dublin Government was trumpeted, but now that government is on its way out, and the Irish labour Party, a likely component of the next government, has seriously questioned the project. Yet, in year 4 of his DRD Budget, Murphy is relying on a £270m contribution from the bankrupt Republic which is highly unlikely to ever materialise, leaving NI taxpayers to pick up the bill once the project is started.
“In an effort to keep alive an unaffordable all-Ireland scheme Murphy has not only cut funding for water infrastructure and road maintenance, but, today, is trying to jump start it over the line by getting the public inquiry process underway.
“If we had a proper collective government this is precisely the sort of uneconomic project which in these austere times would be called in and re-examined, but instead it is now within the fiefdom powers of unaccountable Murphy and in time we’ll all pay for that. I note some Unionist MLAs now claim to challenge and question the project, yet their parties, DUP and UUP, nodded it through the Executive. That was the time to stop it, but, alas, they were asleep at the wheel.”
