Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Inland Waterways
Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on .
- MLA
- Ms Liz Kimmins
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 29 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statement
- Heading
- North/South Ministerial Council: Inland Waterways
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5645103
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Where do I start? The Member will know that, when I was on the council, we championed the need to further enhance and, indeed, maximise the potential of the Newry canal. With the Newry city park moving closer to construction and other work happening in the area, there is a real opportunity for us to do that. One of the things that we did when I was on the council was to create that linkage between ABC Borough Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, because we recognised that regeneration of the canal concerns both council areas. The letter has not come to me directly yet. It may be with officials at this time. I will certainly look out for it, because I am happy to get behind anything that we can do to support the project.
The Ulster canal project is being progressed in three phases. Phase 1, which is from Lough Erne to Castle Saunderson, and phase 2, which is from Clones to Clonfad, are both now complete and open for navigation. Work on the third and final phase, which is from Castle Saunderson to Clonfad, is in progress. Pre-construction work, including the acquisition of land, is under way. Phase 3 is subdivided into four sub-phases, and the current estimated completion date for all sub-phases is 2028-29. I am fully committed to supporting the completion of that ambitious project, which is transformational for communities and businesses in the region. All funding for the project to date has been provided by the Irish Government, including funding through the Shared Island Fund. I welcome that recent announcement of a further allocation of €30 million from the Shared Island Fund for the project. Junior Minister Bunting and I had an opportunity to see the work that has been done and what is planned for the future. What can be achieved through collaboration across this island is not just ambitious but very exciting. I will continue to support the project in any way in which I can to ensure that we see its full realisation.
At the meeting, the Council approved four disposals: a 99-year lease to Kildare County Council to facilitate the construction of a pedestrian/cycle bridge to Rathangan in County Kildare; an extension of the benefit of the existing way leave to Oakway Millview 2 Ltd; a 20-year extension to existing leases for an area of the Shannon navigation at Lavagh, Carnadoe and Roosky in County Roscommon; and a 99-year lease to Kildare County Council to facilitate the construction of the pedestrian/cycle bridge near the eighteenth lock at Landenstown in County Kildare. At this time, there is no requirement under the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) Order 1999 for us to approve any disposal of properties in the North.
I have given my statement on the most recent North/South Ministerial Council meeting, where we discussed cross-border greenways. The plans for Warrenpoint are excellent. It is really good to see that project moving on. I know that the consultation opened recently. It will potentially come up at the next meeting. It may not be specifically cross-border but it links with the Narrow Water bridge, as you said, so there is cross-border potential. We have seen the success of the Carlingford lough greenway. I love to remind Ministers at NSMC meetings of just how successful it has been and how it has revitalised everywhere along its route. Recently, I completed my first parkrun on the Carlingford lough greenway. A greenway has so many different uses and is a fantastic asset to any community. I look forward to seeing what comes next for the one that the Member mentioned.
That is part of the works that are being carried out along the route. If there are specifics, I can get more information on those. I do not have that level of detail, but I am happy to come back to the Member on what has been done and whether there are plans where there are areas that potentially need upgrades or repairs.
As I said, Waterways Ireland has worked out its strategy for how to deal with that. As the Member will know, that is an important aspect of the work. Given the significant Waterways Ireland area that is in the North, we can come back with more detail on what exactly is covered as part of that strategy and how it impacts on areas north of the border.
Yes. As the Member will know, construction started in May 2024. Its planned substantial completion date is still late 2027, with the final handover due in early 2028. Works are proceeding to schedule. I am really pleased with that. Anyone who lives in or visits the area can see that the project is moving very quickly. It creates a sense of excitement about what that will mean for the area. I am not aware of any challenges with the budget. It is important to note that it is proceeding as scheduled. Hopefully, we will see it sooner rather than later.
That was a very poor attempt to link your question to the statement. Look: work is ongoing with the council on that greenway. I was delighted to visit Carryduff last week. I know that the area is really growing, with families and others moving in. I met my party colleagues Deirdre Hargey and local councillors Ryan Carlin and Daniel Bassett there. There is a real appetite for that change in Carryduff, particularly as it is very congested with traffic. The greenway is one of those projects that, I think, we will see being realised.
As the Member knows, greenways are very much typically led by councils, so there is more work to do at council level, but we will support it in any way that we can through our active travel delivery plan.
As the Member knows, at this point in time Lough Neagh is not within the remit of Waterways Ireland. However, I am exploring that. As the Member has said, we have seen the benefits of Waterways Ireland ownership in Clones following the work done there on the Ulster canal. That has helped to bring recreational amenity and tourism benefits to that community. I want to explore how that could be replicated around Lough Neagh, including the expansion of the Ulster canal restoration to include Lough Neagh. As we progress through that exploratory work, I will be happy to keep Members updated.
1,070 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.72).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.72 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.95 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.04 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:05 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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