Is Underinvestment Holding Northern Ireland Back?

The Stormont committee chair Deborah Erskine has spoken out about the lack of investment into Northern Ireland, which she believes is holding the country back and making it uncompetitive.

She made her comments at the latest DUP conference where she stated that the shortage of funding was slowing down the house-building process and also leading to incidents of water pollution which is doing untold damage to the economy. She wants to see a new investment strategy that will pour money into roads, transport, schools, health facilities, social housing, water infrastructure and other areas that need attention in order for the country to move forward with purpose.

Outdated Infrastructure Undermines Our Economy, Competitiveness & Overall Quality Of Life

On a brighter note she did comment on the fact that NI is excelling in attracting foreign investment and rolling out high speed broadband. Here is what she said, as copied from an article on the Irish News website:

“In recent years, we have seen the challenges that outdated infrastructure can bring – they undermine our economy, our competitiveness and overall quality of life,

“Our infrastructure – the roads we travel, the bridges that connect us, the public transport systems that serve us, and the digital networks that drive innovation – all of this is the backbone of our economy and the fabric of everyday life in Northern Ireland,” she said.

“Yet, we know that much of our infrastructure is in need of modernisation and expansion to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.

Traffic Congestion And Unreliable Transport Links The Tip Of The Iceberg

“Traffic congestion and unreliable public transport links are just the tip of the iceberg,” the DUP MLA said.

“When homes, schools and new businesses can’t be built, and water pollution incidents increase, because water infrastructure is creaking at the seams, these are not mere inconveniences – they undermine our economy, our competitiveness and overall quality of life.”

We have to say that we totally agree with these comments. There has been underinvestment in Northern Ireland for far too many years and the consequences of this inaction is there for everyone to see. We probably need a decade of putting in some serious funding in the right areas to get the country somewhere near where it needs to be and indeed should be.

This investment would lift businesses, lift the economy and improve the lives of people right up and down Northern Ireland. But it’s no use talking about this subject, we do need action taken and that will only happen if Westminster loosens the purse strings and Stormont makes good use of the extra funding.