AT first sight it may seem strange for a business body to be expressing concern about the crumbling infrastructure of Northern Ireland. But, as an organisation representing employers, the Confederation of British Industry is entitled to take up the cudgels on behalf of the wider community. At stake is Northern Ireland's competitive position. Traffic congestion, overloaded sewers and lengthening hospital waiting lists not only inconvenience people but create an economic cost. The soundness of the infrastructure is high on the tick-list of any prospective investor from outside the province.
Nobody wants to locate in a country which is creaking at the joints.
Years of under-funding under the auspices of successive direct rule regimes have left Northern Ireland's infrastructure in a parlous state. As the recent Assembly Budget demonstrated, and as everyone knows, the current level of subvention from Westminster to Northern Ireland is insufficient to deal with all the problems. Extra funding is required, and the CBI has come up with a number of innovative ideas, such as selling off some of the Government's landbank. As a first step, a property audit of the government-owned landbank should be undertaken, but there must be a guarantee that funds released will not be clawed back by the Treasury. In addition, the Assembly would have to seek assurances that there would be no consequent reductions in Westminster support.