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.
Road safety is a high priority for my Department, and we are committed to working proactively to make our roads safer and to address the needs of all road users. The Creenagh bridge replacement and significant realignment represented a £1·9 million investment by my Department to improve safety for pedestrians and road…
We all share that frustration. Many repairs are temporary until such times as a more impactful repair can be done. The Member mentioned resurfacing: there are roads everywhere that would benefit from resurfacing. Obviously, budget has an impact on that. We are trying to get a better Budget so that we can do it…
Quality assurance is really important when looking at roads. A number of us in the Chamber could take you to potholes that we have raised with the Department that have been fixed but have then reopened within a matter of days, meaning that we have had to go back into the portal to raise it with DFI staff again. That…
Recruitment is a key challenge faced by all Departments. In questions to the Minister of Health, my colleague from Newry and Armagh referred to the recruitment issue that recently impacted on Daisy Hill. The challenge is not unique to DFI. I want to put a focus on ensuring that we build our internal capacity and…
I thank the Minister for that response. As you outlined, Minister, a key part of creating a more resilient road network is having the workforce to deliver it. We know that British austerity has severely impacted on our workforce in DFI, creating an over-reliance on contractors and driving up the cost of works as a…
The issues surrounding the condition of the road network are well established. As I stated in my previous answer, I will shortly publish the new road maintenance strategy, which will put my Department in a much stronger position to progress a more modern, data-driven approach to road maintenance across the North. The…
First, to clarify the Member's points, I have never said that developers were going to fund the £2 billion gap. I have said quite the opposite, which is that that is one way in which to make some progress in that regard. It is important that I put that on the record. Secondly, it is a developer-led problem. If I were…
Minister, the Larne West distributor was supposed to have been delivered by developers 25 or 30 years ago. It is a developer-led project. As I understand it — I do not represent Larne — it involves a couple of hundred metres of unbuilt road. Does the farcical situation of that unbuilt road in Larne not give the lie to…
As Members will be aware, my Department is a statutory consultee in the planning process, at which point it provides technical advice to councils on roads, access traffic and road safety matters. Councils, as the ultimate planning authority, are responsible for determining planning applications and attaching or…
As I stated in my previous answer, the Department acknowledged the ombudsman's findings about the road. As the Member said, the ombudsman concluded that the failure to complete the road arose from the way in which development was allowed to proceed without the necessary planning controls or conditions having been put…
The infrastructure in Larne West is shambolic and fails residents and commuters daily. Minister, you will be aware of an ombudsman's investigation of the missing link road at Ballyloran that reported last February on the back of my office having brought the matter to it. The investigation found maladministration, and…
As I said, at this point, the issue is between the council and the developers. Ultimately, they can resolve it. My Department will continue to engage with the council, but, at this point, we do not have the power to intervene. It is important to make that clear. I have stated that in relation to the Private Streets…
I thank the Minister for that answer. It will not satisfy the people of the area. The completion of the 3 km distributor road was planned to be a key part of the development, linking hundreds of houses to the wider road network, but, due to a planning issue by her Department in the 1990s, it never happened. Will she…
I recognise the Member's interest in the Larne West distributor (south) road and the local concerns about that incomplete section of road. As the Member will likely be aware, the road was identified through the Larne area plan and the earlier Larne West study as infrastructure to be delivered by the developers of the…
Insurance is not within my gift to address. However, the Member will be aware that we have a grant scheme for flood protection measures for homes that have been flooded. The work on flood maps is significant. As I have said previously, it continues to evolve as we deal with the extreme weather that we have seen,…
There is a bit of a flood on the other side of the Chamber. Minister, how does your Department plan to address the growing number of households that are unable to afford flood insurance or cover but are still exposed to flood risk due to delays in updating flood maps?
I have outlined some of the issues that we are working to address. In my response to my colleague, I said that we are looking at the assessment criteria to ensure that we are investing properly and reducing impacts on people. It is also important to say that we cannot build our way out of flooding. It is something…
Minister, the Northern Ireland Audit Office report is very critical of your Department on the topic of flood risk. You have just read out some interventions that your Department has made. The report's most substantial criticism is that your Department cannot show that its activities to build flood risk defences: "are…
Yes. As the Member mentioned, we have experienced the impact of flooding in both of our constituencies. That impact is not just from the damage to property or the effect on business; there is lasting impact on people, physically and emotionally, when their home or their business is flooded. There is always the anxiety…
Minister, you will be aware that flood alleviation schemes are assessed on a cost-benefit ratio which we know can be prohibitive and can prevent schemes from progressing. As we know only too well from flooding in our constituencies, in Newry and Downpatrick, such analysis does not always reflect the wider…
The Member will know that there is joint responsibility for coastal erosion and all of that. Officials have been engaging with those in the local area. I fully recognise that that presents challenges as time goes on. The work that I outlined in my previous answer shows that the picture is ever-changing, and we are…
Thank you, Minister. In my constituency of North Down, the town of Donaghadee is particularly at risk of flooding. Earlier this year, the sea wall crumbled because of the effects of storm Chandra. What will your Department do to ensure better flood defences in the area and build resilience against the inevitable…
I recognise that the Assembly process must complete before I comment in detail. However, it is important to recognise the real and sustained progress that my Department has made in recent years to strengthen flood risk management, including increased investment and continued improvement in the overall condition of…
As the Member knows, the Executive and, in particular, the Finance Minister are negotiating with the British Treasury to get a better deal for this place. It is not simply that the Executive are not agreeing a Budget; the Executive are standing up for people here to ensure that we get a better Budget that will enable…