AQW 39933/22-27

Mr Andrew McMurray
Alliance Party
South Down

Tabled Date: 05/02/2026
Answered On Date: 25/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail the percentage of road defects repaired by (i) her Department; and (ii) external contractors, in 2025.

Answer:

My Department carries out a range of road maintenance works which are categorised by activity such as patching or environmental maintenance and funding is recorded by this means.

We also maintain a large and varied road network of both rural and urban roads, ranging from low trafficked routes to high speed ‘A’ Class roads and Dual Carriageways. There are differing requirements which are dependent on the types of roads, particularly between rural and urban and it is also the case that high-speed roads require additional signage, with increased costs. Therefore, a cost per mile of road maintenance works cannot be derived in a meaningful way.

My Department recorded approximately 80,000 defect repairs in 2024/25 of which 61.8% were repaired by my Department’s internal contractor and 38.2% by an externally appointed contractor.