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 draft Motor Vehicles (Specified Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 That the draft Motor Vehicles (Specified Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 be approved.
That was quick. I thank Members for bringing the motion to the Assembly today and for their contributions as part of the debate. As Minister with responsibility for the transport network, including our gateway ports and airports, I will respond to the motion and will speak on behalf of my colleague Caoimhe Archibald,…
On the first part of the question, I have been getting a lot of correspondence on this. I am happy to continue it. We had a fulsome discussion on the issue a number of months ago. In relation to the question on waste water, the Member is aware that there are closed catchments across the North. We are looking at how NI…
I am not sure what the Member is alluding to, but I will be happy to receive more information if there are specific cases where that has been an issue. Importantly, planning was devolved to councils because councillors, who are democratically elected, have a real grasp of their areas. The Member and I were on councils…
As the Member may know, we have been working on a planning improvement programme for the past year or so. We have seen good results so far. It will take time for that programme to be properly felt on the ground, but we have seen early indications that, in recent months, our major projects have met their targets for…
The delay that the Member talks about from 2027 to 2030 was as a result of a collapse of the Assembly that his party instigated. Since coming into the post, I have ensured that we have moved ahead with this. Phase 1 is on track for delivery by 2030. Both routes were assessed during the process. We discussed why the…
Phase 1 is progressing at pace and is due for completion by 2030: on-site surveys got under way in June last year; the outline business case was approved in December; and detailed design began in April this year alongside land acquisition activity. I am determined to build on that progress so that we can get it…
The Member will not be surprised to learn that I absolutely do not accept that. Our efforts to combine on the appeal show how determined we are to get the road built. A huge amount of work went into the original case, from which there was a very disappointing outcome. However, we are determined that we will get…
Well, as the Member will know, that position has been beyond my control. It has been through the courts, and we are now in the middle of an appeal. I absolutely wish that the road had been built by this stage, and it should have been built. However, there has been a concerted effort, resulting in delay after delay,…
Over £1 billion is required, and that cost keeps going up the longer it takes to get there. We have made some progress, and it is important to say that, both when John was in post as Infrastructure Minister and since I have come in, we have been able to secure in-year funding, which unlocked capacity. You will be…
The shortfalls in waste water infrastructure investment are well documented. We continue to work with NI Water and others to try to secure the investment that is needed and to find other ways in which to address the issue. The Member will be aware that I recently introduced the Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood…
I have just explained what my commitment is, and what it has been for some time. We are working extremely hard. The resources are simply not there, but are we trying to make a difference? We absolutely are. We are looking at how to do so differently, within a very constrained budget. Investment, staffing, and ensuring…
I do drive on the roads of Newry and Armagh, as I do on the roads right across the Six Counties. A significant amount of work is being done on roads right across Newry and Armagh, which I am sure that the Member has seen. It is well documented at this stage that we have significant issues because of underinvestment in…
As I said, the responsibility for preparing LDPs rests with councils, reflecting the intent of planning reform and transfer to place plan-making and decision-making with the democratically elected representatives on those councils. We devolved planning to councils to allow those who probably have the best knowledge of…
My Department has a statutory consultee and oversight role in respect of local development plan documents that are prepared by local councils. In that role, my Department engages with councils on local planning policies across a wide range of topics, including where plan documents incorporate specific policy for…
I was absolutely not trying to pass the buck. I outlined the processes that are required for any new transport proposals for council areas. That is the purpose of the local development plans: they feed into and align with our wider transport plans. If things are done in isolation and do not take into consideration the…
I thank the Member for raising the matter. I do not have the information in front of me, but I will respond in writing to give him an update. Hopefully, that will help to move things on.
As I said, I fully recognise the significant impact of the bridge closure on residents, businesses and the wider Kilrea community. I understand why the council is seeking to look at longer-term solutions for the area. I absolutely welcome the council's engagement on the matter. As with the Strangford issue, there is a…
We have seen lots of instances across the North where major works have been required and, undoubtedly, caused disruption. In recent months and since I came into post, I have been contacted by a number of representatives about not only Kilrea Bridge but some of the other major works across the North. I fully appreciate…
I was pleased to note that Kilrea Bridge reopened to traffic on 18 February 2026, following the substantial repair works that were required. Whilst the main structural works to stabilise the wall have been completed, with width and weight restrictions lifted, a number of minor construction activities continue,…
The Member will appreciate that I do not have that information in front of me, because his question is quite specific. If he wishes to submit a question for written answer, we can get accurate figures. If there are any trends or patterns that relate to specific areas, we can look at them.
I appreciate that. We have had many discussions about that issue. The other side of that is that this is public money, and we have to ensure that we are following the correct processes, so that money is paid to those who are entitled to it. I am not suggesting that people who have made claims and have been turned down…
It will be when we start to see a real difference in the quality of the roads. As elected reps, we will hopefully see a very different outcome from what we have seen for a number of years — over a decade, I suppose. We have seen it year after year. The Department will use a number of metrics to see what the success…
As I said in response to a previous question, we are finalising a draft strategy that aims to introduce a more modern, data-driven approach to maintaining the road network and ensure that our resources are used more effectively and efficiently. That is about raising maintenance standards by delivering higher-quality,…