Debate contribution: Road Maintenance: Potholes
Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on .
- MLA
- Ms Liz Kimmins
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 13 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Road Maintenance: Potholes
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5789825
Read the official Assembly record
Text
There are two questions there, but I am happy to answer both. First, yes, the digital survey is exactly for that purpose. We will have a full survey of our road network annually. We have not had that before. Previously, it depended on people going out to inspect roads physically. The digital system removes the over-reliance on our staff doing that. We are getting a more in-depth insight into the condition of our roads, and we are seeing where roads are likely to deteriorate before they reach the worst stage of deterioration. That enables us to plan on a longer-term basis and to target funding where we know that it will be needed. As part of the new system, there will be an ability to see online the location of the roads that are in the worst conditions, to which we will be able to target resources. Secondly, you talked about our constituency. I am certainly seeing a lot more activity. The southern division has got a significant proportion of the funding that has been made available, for those reasons. We are trying to target it where it is needed most. That could be said across the board. Over the past 18 or 19 months, since I have been in post, a lot of questions have been asked in the House about how money is allocated. We will have a tool that will enable us to see where it is needed most. That will help to dictate where funding goes so that it is used in the best possible way and that we are targeting the worst roads across the North, regardless of which division they are in. I hope that that gives the Member confidence that we are listening and looking at how we can do things differently, because we know that, over the past 10 or 15 years, the way in which we have been working and the funding that has been available have not been delivering the results that the public expect. We are making efforts to ensure that that is improved.
345 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Awaiting analysis
This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.