It will cost £50 million to clean up dump at Mobuoy near Derry
On Tuesday, an Opposition motion calling for the establishment of an Infrastructure Commission was passed.
Fairer Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan Foyle MLA said: “A decade of chronic overspending, missed deadlines and political inertia has left the public footing the bill for failure, while urgent community needs go unmet.
“In the past five years alone, nearly £3 billion has been overspent across major capital projects.
“Of the Executive’s seven flagship initiatives announced over a decade ago, only one has been completed. Costs for 77 major projects have soared by 44%, and none of the regionally significant planning applications have met their 30-week targets.
“This isn’t just about the delivery of major road projects; it’s about repeatedly broken promises: from Casement Park to the Children’s Hospital, from the all-island rail network to environmental remediation at Mobuoy.
“These delays, coupled with siloed Executive departments and lack of accountability, represent a systemic failure in governance.
“While £150,000 spent on Irish language signage at Grand Central Station sparked weeks of debate, the same project quietly ran £45 million over budget, a disparity that underscores misplaced priorities and political complacency.
“The establishment of an Infrastructure Commission will bring expertise, long-term planning, and proper oversight to public spending.
“As other jurisdictions like Scotland and England have demonstrated, such a commission is not a luxury but s a necessity.
“It’s time the Executive stop passing the buck.
“We deserve infrastructure that works, spending that delivers and leadership that looks beyond the next election to the next generation.”
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