The announcement that a £4 million extension of funding has been allocated for structural maintenance work to be carried out until the end of October has been welcomed by the UUP.

The party's Regional Development spokesperson, Adrian Cochrane-Watson MLA, said it will provide some relief to the construction industry which is "under great pressure".

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He said: "It is totally unacceptable that we are now in September and June monitoring has still not been resolved, with little sight of light at the end of the tunnel. This also demonstrates the serious need for a review of how the Department for Regional Development is funded from the outset, something which leaves it over-reliant on the monitoring rounds. It was disgraceful that Danny Kennedy should have found himself criticised for things too often beyond his control."

(CD)