To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for her assessment of the need for Northern Ireland to have a regional infrastructure panel, similar to the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland, to provide independent, informed advice on infrastructure and to create a long-term infrastructure strategy.

Modern and sustainable infrastructure is a key building block of prosperity for any society. It is essential if we are to grow our economy, address regional imbalance, and support a thriving region where people want to live, work and invest. Investing in our infrastructure is also going to be an important element of economic recovery in the months ahead.

Given the timescales involved in delivering many infrastructure schemes and the investment needed to build and then maintain our infrastructure, I believe that a more strategic approach to how we plan, deliver and maintain our infrastructure is badly needed. One year budgets, for example, make little sense when looking at plans that should be designed to meet the needs of people here for decades.

I have therefore been following the approach taken in Scotland with interest and I am engaging with a range of stakeholders to identify options going forward.