§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have decided to give a lesser priority to funding public transport in Northern Ireland than in other parts of the United Kingdom; if so, when and why that policy decision was taken; and whether they consider that, where railways are concerned, the limited availability of funds for renewals and upgrades has contributed to recently identified safety inadequacies in infrastructure and rolling stock. [HL2136]
179WA
§ Baroness Farrington of RibbletonPublic expenditure priorities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland have been different, with spending on transport being afforded a lower relative priority in Northern Ireland. Translink believe that limited availability of funds has contributed to inadequancies in infrastructure and rolling stock. This limited availability of funding does not prejudice railway safety which Translink considers to be of paramount importance.