Debate contribution: Road Maintenance

Debate contribution by Mr Cathal Boylan on 16 February 2026.

MLA: Mr Cathal Boylan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 16 February 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Road Maintenance
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5391200

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
I welcome the motion, but not for the reasons that it was brought, because, in tabling the original wording of the motion, its movers have demonstrated that they are more interested in party politics than in the pothole problem. When the Minister came to the Chamber two weeks ago, she was clear, not only as a Minister but as an MLA for a rural constituency, that she is all too aware of the condition that our roads are in. Not once did the Minister shirk her responsibilities on the issue; instead, she very clearly laid out what she is doing to improve the condition of our roads. In short, we tabled our amendment to bring clarity and honesty to the debate, while also supporting the calls for urgent action, as each of us will have examples of roads in our communities that are in a dire state. Let us be honest. Will the motion fix the potholes overnight? No. As I said, our amendment seeks to add some honesty to the debate. Our amendment, if supported by other parties in the Chamber, would send a clear message to the public that we hear them and are working to fix the problem. The draft road maintenance strategy published by the Minister acknowledges that we need a different approach. It acknowledges the need for and commits to the increased use of technology to ensure that we target resources where they are needed most, addressing the most high-risk surface defects. In addition, the Minister is clear on the need for additional funding and resourcing to enable her to carry out much-needed resurfacing schemes as opposed to patching roads that are in poor condition. I have seen it —.
The Member can put his name down, just like Mr Dunne said. In my constituency, I have seen £590,000 for a road improvement scheme on the A29 Armagh Road, Keady and a £375,000 scheme on the Farnaloy Road, Madden allocated by Minister Kimmins. In supporting our amendment, all the parties in the Chamber can show that they are not here just to play the blame game but want to work with the Minister to see additional funding going to roads, just as we saw before Christmas, when an additional £30 million was invested, £4 million of which was targeted at improving rural roads. Further to that, the additional investment of £7·85 million in the wake of storm Chandra highlights the fact that the Minister is working to increase the funding that is available to her. Let us use this debate to send a signal that we all want to see the roads improved, rather than trying to pin the blame on one Minister. As I have said already, the road problem will not be addressed overnight, in the same way as it did not arrive overnight. We need increased investment in order to undo the years of underfunding of public services; we need the updated road maintenance strategy and detailed action plan to be completed urgently; and we need to work together to find solutions. I commend the Minister for her efforts and look forward to working with her and others to improve our roads.

537 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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