10,000 road builders face dole queue

UP to 10,000 road builders face the dole queue in the next 12 months because the Government is abandoning commitments made in its public capital programme and the National Development Plan.

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association has claimed the Government is delaying, deferring or even canceling new roads projects due to the downturn in exchequer finances.

“While the Government is insisting they will continue with investment in the order of €6 billion per year over the next six years, there is absolutely no evidence on the ground that this is happening,” said Pat McCarthy, the association’s president. “All of the evidence suggests that Government capital expenditure is being curtailed to that required by existing contractual commitments and that the projects required for an ongoing programme are not being started. In effect, the public capital programme is being wound down and is grinding to a halt.”