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Ms Liz Kimmins: Assembly records
All of Ms Liz Kimmins’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The city centre was very closely monitored during the fleadh, and I was in the engine room where all the different partners worked together. We saw in real time that those issues could be picked up on straight away. Translink has its own area at the Laganside bus centre. When I visited the staff there, work was…
I used the train a number of times to go up to the fleadh and saw just how busy it was. The main lesson for me is that public transport must be embedded in major event planning from the outset. The scale of the fleadh required months of close coordination between the Department, Translink, Belfast City Council, the…
Public transport use during the 2026 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was exceptionally strong, with Translink carrying more than 1·7 million passenger journeys across its bus and rail network during the eight-day event. That represents an increase of over 620,000 journeys compared with the same week in 2025 and reflects the…
The Member referred to one aspect of why we are carrying out the audit. I hope that it has been made clear that that is part of the picture. Both I and my Department have concerns about a number of different areas. That is the focus of the audit. For me, it is about getting a clear insight into the issues and being…
In my initial answer, I said that several raising a concern investigations have been carried out to date. That is on the public record. The concerns that I mentioned have intensified recently owing to insufficient assurance, coupled with the raising a concern investigations; legacy and current breaches of a "Dear…
I have no reason to doubt it. The point of the audit is to assure us that everything that is done in the organisation, particularly on governance, meets the standards that we expect. I have outlined my concerns about what has led us to that point. I am pleased that NI Water has said that it is willing to engage and be…
I have instructed the group head of NI Civil Service internal audit to progress the forensic audit. As I said, I have asked for it to be done as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. I hope that that answers the Member's question.
I hope that what I have outlined today demonstrates how seriously I am taking the issues that I have identified. The House relentlessly says that I need to give NI Water more money, but I need to ensure that the money that we give it is used properly. I say without prejudice that we have a number of concerns, and it…
When I announced the audit, earlier in the month, the Department outlined concerns about governance and control matters in NI Water, and I will require further assurance on the adequacy of NI Water's risk management, governance and systems of internal control. The Department's concerns were intensified recently due to…
As someone who has always been raising those issues in my constituency, I know how important it is to get safe crossings and what the Department calls "local transport and safety measures" to enhance road safety in all constituencies. The answer that I provided to the previous Member outlines some of the challenges…
I thank the Member for raising that. Officials undertook a pedestrian survey on the Belfast Road in Ballynahinch in March of this year. The outcome of that assessment was that the location met the Department's criteria for consideration of a controlled pedestrian crossing and was added to the list of potential…
I thank the Member for her comments. I am keen that we do as much as possible in the rest of the mandate to improve road safety, particularly for children and young people going to and from school. Following the roll-out of the third tranche of the part-time 20 mph speed limit schemes at 40 schools across the North…
The Member makes a valid point. Obviously, we want to move at pace. As I outlined in my substantive response, there is still a process to go through, and we have to allow for any input into that. Subject to no objections being raised, we should be able to move ahead. I do not have the exact date, but we kept it broad…
As I have said in previous responses, road safety remains an absolute priority for me and my Department, and we are committed to working proactively to make our roads safer and to address the needs of all road users. We are acutely aware that children and young people are amongst the most vulnerable groups using our…
As constituency representatives, we are all too familiar, unfortunately, with the dangers of e-scooters. The Member will know that it is illegal to use e-scooters on our public roads and public spaces here, so anyone who is using an e-scooter illegally may be subject to enforcement action by the PSNI. We have seen…
First, I commend St Ronan's. I am very familiar with it. I know that that has been a fantastic development and will be a huge boost for the community and for the staff and the pupils, who are very proud of their school. I can get further detail for the Member on where that is at. I do not have that to hand, but I am…
I am glad that the Member has raised that issue. As we know, drug-driving is an increasing concern. The current legal framework for tackling drug-driving in the North is based on proven impairment, an approach that has changed little over many decades. As drug-use patterns, technologies and enforcement methods have…
In response to the Member's initial question, I outlined the broad range of interventions that I have been making and continue to make and those that I plan to make in the future. There is no single intervention that has an impact across the board, and that is why we need to have a collaborative approach with the Road…
Just bear with me a second, Mr Speaker. Apologies. So far this year, 48 people have lost their lives on our roads. Road safety remains a key priority for me. My thoughts are, first, with the families and friends who have been for ever changed by the devastation of losing a loved one on our roads. The work of the…
I welcome the opportunity to speak to today's debate. I apologise for not being here at the start. I thank my colleague Aisling Reilly for covering when I was not here. I thank Peter McReynolds for bringing the Bill forward and acknowledge the work that has gone into the proposals. He mentioned his consultation, which…
I thank Keith Buchanan for securing this important debate and for the tone and manner in which the issues have been raised. I appreciate that we are all acutely aware of the challenges. As I have said many times in the Chamber, this is not unique to any MLA's constituency but goes right across the board. I welcome the…
That is an important clarification, because it is my reading — other Members have suggested the same — that DFI would be the lead Department, regardless of who owned the property. That is important. My concern in relation to that — I will come back to some of it in my remarks later — is on how we deal with it when it…
My understanding of the Bill is that it requires DFI to become the lead Department in being responsible for taking down flags, billboards or whatever it might be, regardless of who owns the property.
I want to get a wee bit of clarity on your last point. You said that DFI should take responsibility and that it is about the property within DFI's responsibility. My understanding of the Bill is that it relates to all property, regardless of whether it is DFC or DOJ. It is not just DFI property specifically. I just…