Public Works minister Craig Cannonier has come under fire for the cost of the North Shore roundabout project.

Speaking in the House of Assembly this morning, Mr Cannonier said $728,000 has been spent on the project so far and the final cost is expected to be close to $1 million.

Multiple opposition members questioned Mr Cannonier about the finances of the project, which were revealed as a result of Parliamentary Questions by Derrick Burgess.

Asked about the initial cost estimate for the project, the minister said he did not know, stating that while construction began in 2014 the original design work on the project began in 2010.

“I haven’t seen a figure for that,” he said. “The design, the make-up of it started in 2010.”

Questioned if the lack of an initial cost estimate indicated a lack of cost controls, he responded that he wouldn’t go that far.

“It falls under the byline of road works,” he said. “There was no set defined number put into place because the cost of the project should have been included in 2010. If there was a figure to put in place, it should have been put in place then.”

Under continued questioning, he said that he was “perplexed” about the matter, and he would not disagree that the lack of an estimated cost for the project should “raise the eyeballs” of the Auditor-General, adding: “I’m asking questions about all this as well.”

Mr Cannonier also stated that the plans had always involved using a part of the nearby Ducking Stool Park and, asked if costs could have been saved if stones had not been controversially removed from the site, he said the stones were not usable for the project.

“Our technical team did look at it and found it was not useful for the new building work at all,” he said. The minister was also questioned about access to a public slip on the grounds of the Spanish Point Boat Club. Asked by MP Walton Brown about any agreement between the club and the government, Mr Cannonier said a 2002 Memorandum of Understanding between the parties stated that the public would be given access to the slip provided they give the club 24 hours advance notice.

“It was in 2002 that the MOU was done,” he said. “The questions should have been asked when we put this MOU in place, not in 2016. I will review it. This is a public slip and we need to look at it.”