Funds redirected from the A5 cross-border dual carriageway in Northern Ireland have been reallocated into two smaller transport projects and three significant healthcare schemes. As a result, the Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry will be given a new ward, the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald will receive much-needed upgrades to its Accident & Emergency Department, and plans for a new healthcare facility in Omagh will be fast-tracked.

It is thought that several thousand jobs will be created from this reallocation of funds, as Stormont First Minister, Peter Robinson, told the Associated Press: “As a result of the decisions reached this morning, these projects will create or sustain over 2,500 jobs on the roads and approximately 500 jobs on hospital spend for Northern Ireland’s hard-pressed construction industry; further improve our roads infrastructure; and significantly upgrade our healthcare infrastructure in Belfast, Omagh and Londonderry.”