Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
Yes, it will be an important document. The consultation process that we will enter into will map out our road and transport network for the next 20-odd years, maybe more. It is vital. I understand Members' anticipation as they wait for it, so I will do my best to bring it forward as soon as possible.
I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he recognise that those whom I represent and, indeed, those whom his party represents are keen to see a road map for infrastructure projects such as the dualling of the A26 to the north coast and the Ballykelly bypass?
I hope to come before the House to do that in the early part of the next calendar year. As the Member heard me say earlier, a number of plans are afoot. Plans are going through development in a number of areas across the North. I hope to be in a position to come forward with a plan in the early part of next year.
Yes. I have said in the Chamber many times that 95% of road traffic collisions are a result of human error by a driver, a pedestrian, a cyclist or whomever the road user is. Human error leads to 95% of road traffic collisions. I appeal to anyone who comes across a stationary school bus, whether it is on a rural or…
Minister, it is vital for rural areas such as my constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, especially as a young girl lost her life. In the meantime, when there is no legislation, will you commit to working with other agencies and stakeholders to ensure maximum safety for our children and young people at bus stops…
There have been no further policy developments, but we will look at the issue as we work our way through road safety improvements. Drivers should be aware that, under the Highway Code, I believe, they should not pass a stationary school bus. If we need to strengthen the legislation on it, however, we should look at…
There is a long-standing policy on the roads that the Department does and can grit within the time frame and the finances that it has available. I am more than happy to share the criteria with the Member. If she believes that the road in question meets those criteria, she should raise that when she discusses the crash…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Given that the road is treacherous, particularly in winter conditions, and there have been numerous incidents over the years, will the Minister consider adding the road to the gritting schedule for the time being?
My officials are more than happy to engage with the Member on that and discuss the road safety implications in the area and how best to deal with them.
The actual term used in the Audit Office report is "encourage". There is no formal recommendation in the Audit Office report; it encourages NI Water and me to proceed with a review. If a Member or anyone comes forward to me with fresh information that would lead to an expert-led panel dealing with new information on…
I thank the Minister for his answer. In response to an earlier question, the Minister outlined his opposition to water charges and his concerns about mutualisation, which I share. In that context, however, why does the Minister appear reluctant to proceed with the independent expert-led review of Northern Ireland…
I am confident that, with the Executive working together and seeking solutions to problems, rather than simply highlighting them, we can be successful in fulfilling our ambition and plan to deliver that number of homes over the next number of years. NI Water, like all public services, faces significant challenges. It…
Let us see what we have done in recent months. I provided NI Water with over £500 million of funding, which is 40% of the non-ring-fenced budget of my Department. In recent weeks, during the October monitoring round, I secured an extra £32 million for NI Water. I secured agreement from the Executive about a…
Whilst I can hear in the answer that the Minister agrees that something needs to be done, can we get any sense of a timescale for when it will happen? The problems are mounting up, and people are suffering as a result. All that we seem to hear is, "We need extra funding, but we're not going to generate any extra…
With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will answer questions 9 and 10 together, and, if appropriate, I ask for some extra time to do so. I noted the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the funding of water infrastructure, which was published earlier this year. My Department carried out considerable work on…
I associate myself with the Minister's thanks to the staff for their work. My colleague Joanne Bunting has been engaging with his Department to try to have a meeting about future plans to protect the houses in Dundonald. I ask the Minister to encourage officials to arrange a meeting so that we can discuss what we can…
My Department's role in coastal defences is the protection of my Department's property. That may include roads and other areas. That is my Department's role in coastal flood defences. There has been some engagement with Minister Muir — there is no doubt that that engagement will continue — and others in the Executive…
Very briefly, I would like to associate myself with the Minister's comments thanking the staff for their work over the past weekend. Will the Minister give us his assessment as to whether tidal defences in towns around Northern Ireland are adequate or whether further improvements will be required in the light of…
In the lead up to the recent storm, storm Bert, there was, for a period, notification of that storm approaching. My officials managed to visit a number of sites about which they had concerns to check, in particular, drainage and the covers on drains, and whether drains were blocked by any materials. That was the case…
Will the Minister outline what approach his Department has taken on flood risk management specifically on Kings Row in Coalisland, which has flooded on numerous occasions, most recently during the heavy rain on 23 November, causing devastation to those homes.
It is the ambition of my Department to introduce such a measure. However, such things incur significant costs. I keep the matter under review through budgetary periods to see whether I can set aside the funding even to start such alerts and reach a point where we have an up-to-date flood identification programme.
I thank the Minister and appreciate his response. Flood forecasting and an early warning alert would, obviously, allow for more efficient, targeted, emergency responses and flood warnings directly to residents. Will he provide an update as to where that sits with his Department?
My Department has published flood maps for all areas across the region. Those maps identify areas that may be vulnerable to flooding. A regional flood risk management plan (FRMP) for 2021-27 has also been developed by my Department. This FRMP, which is readily available on my Department’s website, includes a range of…
We will examine how we can secure the road. The Member, and other Members, may have seen the video footage taken of the most recent damage to the road. It is significant. The topography of the area makes it very difficult to remedy, and, due to the intensity of some of the rainstorms that we have had recently,…