Analysis in progress: 97,639 of 97,778 records assessed (99.9%). Totals and rankings will change until it finishes. Progress details
All of Mr John O'Dowd’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
1,596 records match, page 48 of 64.
Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Members who tabled the motion. It is a very important topic, and it has been a useful debate. By way of background information, the current Enterprise service was introduced in 1997, and, for most of this time, the fares offered by NI Railways have generally…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: All-island Rail Fares Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: All-island Rail Fares
As I have just announced, I have invested £19·5 million — half of the capital allocation that I was given — in NI Water, because I accept that there are resource and capital challenges for NI Water, as there are with all public services. That investment will help to alleviate the pressures that it has been facing in…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Waste Water Infrastructure: Investment Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Waste Water Infrastructure: Investment
NI Water will be remaining public. There has been no move away from that, and there will not be during my term in this office. I am aware that the Finance Minister is exploring all options in relation to funding, moving forward. Yes, NI Water requires additional funds, as do all public services, moving forward. I will…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Waste Water Infrastructure: New Builds Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Waste Water Infrastructure: New Builds
It applies to both. I have a lot of correspondence from developers regarding the development of businesses, hotels or whatever it may be, who are concerned that there may be waste water infrastructure constraints that will hold back their developments. As I said to Mrs Erskine, we all have to be in problem-solving…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Waste Water Infrastructure: New Builds Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Waste Water Infrastructure: New Builds
Given the scale of work that we undertake, it is not always possible to have contracts delivered at a time that we find most favourable, be that due to cost, school times or whatever it may be. We have to align our contractors to the delivery of projects when they are available — we work with them on that — and when…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Major Works: Holiday Periods Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Major Works: Holiday Periods
I do not know that I can be specific about that site, because I do not have the information in front of me. I imagine that, if a contractor has equipment and staff lined up for a job, there will be additional costs as a result of a cessation of work. However, it is important that we suspend some work of that sort…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Major Works: Holiday Periods Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Major Works: Holiday Periods
Yes. My Department looks at the methods and at how we can use innovative measures to improve our reaction to and efficiency of road maintenance and to reduce the cost of road maintenance, which is always a challenge. I assure the Member that we are future-focused in how we deliver that service.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Roads: Funding Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Roads: Funding
The answer is yes. I have been provided with resource allocation of £22·8 million, which will allow me to take a number of measures. I will be delivering a full winter service in line with last year's, and I have provided money to NI Water and Translink. I have also invested around £15 million, I think, in my Roads…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Roads: Funding Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Roads: Funding
I have had many conversations with my planning officials as to how we expedite planning matters, but the Member will appreciate that due process and due diligence have to be followed. I am acutely aware of the upcoming Open and the potential need for tourist accommodation in the area, so I assure the Member that the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Planning: Proposed Hotel in Portstewart Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Planning: Proposed Hotel in Portstewart
In fairness, I think that that application came into my Department in early September. If I am correct, it was sent to us by the local council, which suggests that it is technical in nature and that there are issues that have to be resolved. My officials will work their way through those issues as quickly as possible,…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Planning: Proposed Hotel in Portstewart Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Planning: Proposed Hotel in Portstewart
My message is always the same in relation to these matters: people have to be in problem-solving mode rather than being simply in problem mode. It is vital that all of us — NI Water, developers, me and whoever — include in our minds how we will solve the problem. That is where the mindset is at. I have allocated an…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Planning: Developer Contributions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Planning: Developer Contributions
I do not have a definitive timescale. I would obviously prefer it to happen sooner rather than later. It will probably require primary legislation, which means that it will have to be properly thought out and developed through the normal legislative processes of the House. Obviously the Committee will be key to that.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Planning: Developer Contributions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Planning: Developer Contributions
At the moment, it is not. If you do not have a site or planning permission, I do not see how you can spend a budget. A number of barriers have to be overcome there. The site has to be identified, and planning permission has to be granted, and then the thorny question of budget comes alive.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Coshquin Waste Water Treatment Works Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Coshquin Waste Water Treatment Works
NI Water has advised me that it has not secured a site for the new waste water pumping station at Coshquin and, therefore, does not have planning permission to operate the waste water treatment works. The Coshquin waste water treatment works cannot be upgraded until a site has been identified and secured, and it then…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Coshquin Waste Water Treatment Works Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Coshquin Waste Water Treatment Works
Yes. We have to make park-and-ride services accessible and understandable to drivers. I will use the example of Sprucefield park-and-ride. Up to this stage, it has been difficult, I am sure, for drivers even to understand that there is a park-and-ride there. I have asked my officials to bring forward measures to…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Belfast City Centre: Traffic Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Belfast City Centre: Traffic
I have established a working group in my Department that includes officials from DFI Roads and others to engage with Translink, the PSNI and the city council. It meets on a regular basis and analyses the condition that the roads were in on previous evenings. It will bring proposals to me on how we can help to…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Belfast City Centre: Traffic Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Belfast City Centre: Traffic
We will seek a speedy hearing of the case, at which we will present our arguments, as will the other party. A month's delay to a capital project of this scale can cost of millions of pounds. We are not at that stage yet, but if we go much further into the new year, we will be talking about millions upon millions of…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: A5: Legal Challenge Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: A5: Legal Challenge
I have been advised that it would not be appropriate for me to name the challengers at this stage. However, I understand that there may be a hearing tomorrow, with each party setting out their initial case. At some stage then, there may be an opportunity for those who brought forward the case to be named, but it would…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: A5: Legal Challenge Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: A5: Legal Challenge
First, the increased frequency of the Belfast to Dublin connection and the closure of the three sets of gates in Lurgan could have been better managed earlier in the application process for additional funding for the early service to the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Hindsight is a great thing, but, during…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Lurgan Train Station: Redevelopment Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Lurgan Train Station: Redevelopment
The new station will replace the one built in the 1970s with a modern, state-of-the-art facility that will provide a greatly needed enhanced passenger experience. It will be fully inclusive and will be a catalyst for future investment in the Lurgan area. It will also promote sustainable transport options and act as an…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Lurgan Train Station: Redevelopment Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Lurgan Train Station: Redevelopment
They are having an impact, and you can see that in the response times from DFI Rivers. I have made a separate submission to the transformation fund to recruit staff for a number of areas in my Department. They will assist in lowering the response times for planning applications in order to speed up the planning…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies
As has been said many times in the Chamber by many different Ministers, the austerity of the past 14 years has left a deep scar across our public services. We have not been able to recruit and maintain staff at the level that we would otherwise have achieved. As I said in answer to the original question, I am running…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies
Last October, when we faced flooding emergencies, we moved staff from various elements of my Department to the direct, front-line emergency response. Following the flooding that we witnessed last year, the Member may recall that Storm Ciarán bore down on us. Thankfully, that storm diverted, and we did not get the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies
As I said, my Department has been operating in a difficult financial environment for a number of years. Officials have advised that operating with the current level of vacancies has had an impact on the delivery of some operational flood risk management policy and IT functions. That also impacts on our ability to…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water and Departmental Delivery Group: Vacancies
It will hopefully be a mixture. Significant investment is involved in providing the infrastructure needed for Glider routes, such as road widening and improvement and bus stop infrastructure. I will make a definitive statement in the next number of weeks.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Glider Expansion: Glengormley and Carryduff Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Glider Expansion: Glengormley and Carryduff
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