Spending on Northern Ireland roads is falling short of investment in the rest of Ireland and the UK.

UUP MLA Fred Cobain told the assembly yesterday that Northern Ireland is spending five times less on each mile of road than England.

Accusing the Department of Regional Development of complacency, the MLA warned that, if the deficit isn't corrected inward investment and jobs will suffer.

He said: "We are all concerned, Mr Deputy Speaker, about the complacency of the department on this issue.

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"Having a first-rate infrastructure is a critical factor in attracting inward investment in jobs for people."

According to Mr Cobain, just £3,800 was being spent this year per mile of road in Northern Ireland - less than one fifth of the £20,000 per mile in England.

Roads Minister Conor Murphy had a budget of £59m for maintenance this year but has since re-allocated £15m from other parts of the budget.

Mr Cobain asked the assembly just what the top priorities for Mr Murphy's department were, cautioning that they should have learned the lesson of under-investment. "You would have thought that we would have learned the consequences from under-investment after 30 years of direct rule neglect," he said.

(VB/JM)