All of Ms Liz Kimmins’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The bottom line is that the motion was tabled on the basis of what Members believed. Clearly, they had not done their homework and have not been in the area. I live in the area, I represent it and I know that there is no Sinn Féin billboard there. It has been interesting to listen to the commentary, because it is…
There is no Sinn Féin billboard at the Egyptian Arch: that is a fact. The Member can cast aspersions about whatever he thinks it may be, but the fact is that there is no Sinn Féin billboard at the Egyptian Arch.
Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Members for tabling a motion on a billboard that is not there and has not been there for some time. It is clear that the Members who tabled the motion do not drive past the location very often. If they did, they would know that there is no Sinn Féin billboard at the…
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle in compliance with section 52 of the NI Act 1998, I will make a statement on the North/South Ministerial Council inland waterways meeting that was held at the North/South Ministerial Council joint secretariat headquarters in Armagh on 28 November 2025. The Executive were…
I welcome the new MLA for Newry and Armagh. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you in the time ahead. I live in south Armagh and represent the constituency. I am aware of the significant challenges with the condition of our roads. The recent cold snap has led to the further deterioration…
I had the pleasure of meeting some of the residents there, so I know how much of an issue that is. In fact, I worked in Hillsborough health centre for a short while, so I am very familiar with the village. Officials in my Department have commissioned an assessment of alternative routes for HGV traffic to inform the…
Approximately £7 million funding has been allocated from the Belfast region city deal to taking forward the environmental improvement works in Royal Hillsborough. The works are expected to commence in March 2027. As part of those works, the council intends to install a pedestrian crossing at lower Main Street, with my…
Yes, absolutely. The collaboration that took place, even across Departments, to develop those measures shows what can be achieved when we work together well with a common goal to make improvements for people. That will align naturally with what goes into the eastern transport plan. I encourage as many people as…
On the back of the challenges that we saw at Christmas 2024, John, when he was Infrastructure Minister, and I, when I took up the role, just under a year ago, felt that it was important to work closely with key stakeholders in the city centre. That involved listening carefully to them and taking on board what they…
Apologies, I could not hear you. The issue is one that is prevalent across the North. It is frustrating, and I appreciate that. I hope that the Member understands the difficult position that the Department is in when it comes to its getting involved. It is the developer's responsibility, and a number of steps have…
I am happy to speak to officials to see where we are at with that and to determine what the next steps will be. I will come back to the Member in writing, if that suits. I am happy to take the issue on board and see what we can do, particularly given that road safety is a priority for the area.
On Saturday 10 January at approximately 12.45 pm, officials were advised that the traffic signals on Clifton Street, at the junction with the A12, were not operating. By 1.45 pm on the same day, a maintenance team was on-site trying to identify the issue. Unfortunately, because of the complexity of the repair that was…
I think that I have just secured the ownership of the Executive. To my knowledge, the report was made available about a week ago. It is important that we look at it in great detail and do not jump to conclusions until we have had time to carefully consider it, as we would do for any proposal of that scale. It would be…
I thank my constituency colleague for his kind words. We reflected on the incredible Mickey Brady earlier today. That is testament to the person he was. I have said that we need to take the time to properly scrutinise the report that the Member referenced and ensure that we understand what exactly is being proposed…
The A1 junctions phase 2 project will deliver enhanced safety measures along 25 kilometres of the A1 between Loughbrickland and Hillsborough, costing in the region of £120 million to £130 million. It will include the closing up of all gaps in the central median and the provision of a number of new grade-separated…
I thank the Member for that question, because it is an opportunity to reflect on the work that we have been doing through the planning improvement programme. We do that work for all those reasons. You and I are former councillors, so we have been there from the early days of the devolution of planning to councils. It…
The work of the commission contributes to the planning improvement agenda by providing independent evidence-based insight to inform the overall direction and delivery of planning improvement measures and initiatives. By bringing together cross-sectoral expertise and a comprehensive programme of engagement, the…
As the Member said, it was November 2025, which is just a few weeks ago. It is important that we properly consider and scrutinise the report before coming to our conclusions. I intend to publish it at the earliest possible stage. It is an important piece of work, and I want to see what has come out of the report in…
The interim Regional Planning Commission has concluded its work programme. It submitted its report to me in November 2025. The report, which is titled, 'The Next Decade: A Framework for Change in the NI Planning System', summarises the work undertaken by the commission as part of the agreed work programme since…
I do not agree that there has been little or no action. I have outlined some of the actions that have been taken even in the past number of months. However, I recognise that we still have a huge amount of work to do, and we will continue to drive forward with that. On the draft Budget, no Minister around the Executive…
I have said on a number of occasions in the House that I will not introduce water charges. That is not done just for the sake of saying, "I'm not doing it". We all recognise that we have to look at things to see how we can maximise the Budget and do what we can to get proper investment in our services. However, in…