Despite suffering a major budget cut in June, the Stormont Social Development Minister Alex Attwood has pledged that his Department would "work hard to meet its urban regeneration commitments".

He said that the bulk of the regeneration capital budget this year (£110million) had been set aside for Belfast's stalled Royal Exchange development.

He said that project had slipped because of the economic recession but that he had "reasonable expectation that money would be returned to his Department for both contractual and priority regeneration projects already underway or in the pipeline".

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Alex Attwood said: "I got far from enough in the June budget for existing contractual commitments, never mind a list of other priorities in my urban regeneration programme.

"However, I am determined to ensure that our contractual obligations in respect of projects already underway are met.

"I am also committed to getting the remainder of my Department's urban regeneration capital programme and I will be submitting an appropriate bid in the monitoring round next month," he said this week.

"Pound for pound, Government investment in urban regeneration is a key economic strategy out of recession," the SDLP Minister continued.

"I have already presented that argument to my Executive colleagues and I will continue to present it both for the rest of this financial year and in the spending review for the next four years that is now underway.

"I hope people of influence across all sectors - political, business, voluntary and community - will join me in making the case and bringing their influence to bear."

(GK/BMcC)