'A8 plan is a must' says McCamphill
He said: “First of all, it is very late in the development process for the Treasury to be throwing up this kind of roadblock, given that the Regional Development Minister has appointed the lead contractor and negotiations for land purchase are in hand. But secondly, and more importantly, this is no run-of-the-mill spending project to be hacked back in hard times. It is the subject of an international agreement.
“The Irish Government is putting a total of 400 million into this project and the A5 Derry-Aughnacloy upgrade. The commitment from Dublin has come through their own budget review process unscathed and was recently confirmed in no uncertain terms by Taoiseach Brian Cowen. As a result, the northern taxpayers are getting a lot of extra bang for their buck and it would be doubly foolish to step back at this point.
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Hide Ad“If these reports are true, the Finance Minister and Regional Development Minister need to step in and talk to the Treasury without delay. A quick calculation on the back of an envelope should convince even the most cut-prone Tory just what a good deal the A8 upgrade is.”