John O'Dowd
Upper Bann · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“As I set out in response to the previous question, we have in place the vacant property rate relief scheme and the small business rate relief scheme, which are very successful. I set aside £10 million in the draft Budget for small business rate relief to be invested.”
“I am particularly keen to hear from those impacted by vacant commercial units and especially about how any phased increase can be implemented in a sustainable way that is fair, proportionate and sustainable within the tax system.”
“I outlined my intent to take that approach in my statement on 18 November, alongside the fact that reform of rating policy should support growth, make better use of property and ensure that the system is fair, proportionate and aligned with wider economic objectives.”
“The accelerator will operate alongside our highly successful Back in Business scheme, which has helped to bring over 100 vacant high street properties back into use since May 2024. Those issues have been the subject of considerable interest and comment in the Assembly, and it is right that we grasp the nettle now.”
“There are no circumstances in which a hard border would be good for the people of Ireland; it would not be good for anyone. Those who suggest that are being naive at best and dangerous at worst, in the sense of not understanding this society. <BR /> <BR />Rural communities along the border are one and the same.”
“This announcement represents the next step in that. That said, I also put on record my intention to strengthen support for small businesses. In that vein, £10 million has been set aside in the draft Budget to broaden the impact of the small business rate relief scheme in order to increase the number of businesses that can benefit from it.…”
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“The York Aviation report calls for the development of an airport policy, and I welcome the fact that this is now in development. Our airports play an important role for our economy by providing the vital connectivity that we, as an island, rely on. Primary responsibility for the development of the policy lies with the Department for the Economy. Given the importance of airport connectivity to future growth and success, I am keen that my officials be consulted on the development of the policy. Preliminary discussions have already taken place between officials, and I expect that that will continue during policy development.”
“All relevant material evidence presented as part of the planning application will be given the weight that it deserves as part of the planning process.”
“A public inquiry is necessary when it is likely to elicit further information on material considerations where those considerations have not been adequately addressed by the planning application. Obviously, I am aware that there was a previous public inquiry on this application in October 2016. The decision on whether to hold a further public inquiry to consider the additional environmental information is one that I will make when officials have completed processing the application and provided their advice.”
“I thank the Member for his question; I will thank him. <BR /> <BR />The Member asked why my officials are engaging with an applicant. That is not unusual. Officials will engage with applicants on planning applications if they require further information or clarification on any matter. As I said, it would be inappropriate for me to go into the merits of this planning application or any other planning application before my officials have had the proper opportunity to engage on the matter and make a recommendation to me. Once a recommendation is made to me, I will make my decision based on the evidence presented to me.”
“As such, it would not be appropriate for me to make specific comments on the planning merits or otherwise of this application at this time.”
“My officials continue to process this application, and, as the Minister with responsibility for this planning decision, I will fully consider the recommendation that comes from my officials before taking any decision in the public interest. I am aware of the number of responses to this planning application, as well as the opposition that exists both locally and among some colleagues. My Department, in considering all representations on any application, will give proper consideration to their content where they raise material planning issues. However, this question is about a live planning application. As the Minister who would ultimately take the decision on the application, it is important, in the interests of transparency, to ensure that no prejudice is caused to any party involved in the process.”
“Sorry, I do not have it available, but I will pass it on.”
“I do not favour using consultants, except when necessary. It is to deal with the backlog. While we work our way through the backlog, I can continue to recruit staff into my team.”
“I hope to have the paperwork with me this calendar year. I am conscious that I am asking teams who are involved in the enforcement work, and all the other work that we want them to do, to do this for me as well. I hope to have it this calendar year. <BR /> <BR />Mr Speaker, that concludes my remarks.”
“Whatever legislation we are using has to have teeth. Nobody wants to get to the point of using it, but it has to be available to ensure that proper procedures and protections are given to those people who are making what is probably the biggest purchase of their life — their family home. We want to make sure that we are in a position to protect them. I assure the Member that I will work with her and other Members to get to the point at which we are —.”
“I am not aware of the penalty that is enforced on developers. I will ensure that officials get that information and inform the Member of it.”
“I assure Members, however, that I have tasked officials with entering into enforcement as soon as it is practically possible and to ensure that we recruit, which we are doing, and get staff on board. I will work with other agencies, such as the council or whoever it might be, on unadopted alleyways.”
“I am also confident that, with some refinement and some engagement and resource in the current process, we can ensure that we do not fall into having backlogs of 20 years, 29 years and 10 years, that those sites come on board now and that the vast majority of developers are responsible, do their tasks and what is asked of them by the people who purchase homes from them. We need to ensure that, for those who slip behind, we have a properly resourced system with the wherewithal to hold them to account and ensure that proper processes are delivered. <BR /> <BR />I recognise that Deborah Erskine is bringing forward legislation. Legislation can be useful to strengthen powers where necessary, and I look forward to working with the Member on that.”
“<BR /> <BR />There have been improvements in recent years, but we have a legacy issue that I do not have the answer to. Some sites have been sitting for 29 years, as Members have said, but I do not have the financial wherewithal to resolve those issues. It is a legacy issue. I am not ignoring it; I am pointing out that we do not have the resources to resolve it at this stage. There has to be a collective Executive discussion on how we start to work our way through those legacy issues. <BR /> <BR />We then have the sites that have been online for five years or so. I think that we have a mechanism to deal with those, although there may be cost implications.”
“We have recruited new staff for the private streets issues, and I hope to have them on the ground. I am looking at other options in the short term to see whether we need to bring in consultants for a short period in order to work our way through the backlog while we continue to recruit staff to our Department. <BR /> <BR />I have answered the question on pipework. There are inflationary pressures on bonds, and that is why they need to be index-based and increase over time. I have mentioned staff levels. Mr McMurray asked about staff capacity. Yes, we have capacity issues, but we are working on them. That also answers the question of whether, if we ever get to the point of having sufficient funding for waste water treatment works and can properly resource our planning service, we will be able to deal with an increase in demand.”
“In many cases, unfortunately, you have to have a carrot-and-stick scenario, but you need the stick to make sure that the work is carried out. I have asked my officials to take that work on board. <BR /> <BR />I will turn to Members' comments. Hopefully, Deborah will bring forward a new legal framework, and I look forward to working with her on that. Mr Carroll asked whether the legislation that we have is effective, and he talked about working with other agencies. Legislation is only as effective as what you use it for, and I commented on what the guidance says about when enforcement is used. The point was also made that my Department is significantly understaffed and under-resourced. We have only so many staff to carry out certain functions.”
“I will come to enforcement because it is a valid point that a number of Members have raised. <BR /> <BR />My officials have adopted a policy of engaging with developers, and, where necessary, they will bring enforcement cases. A number of enforcement cases in recent years have got to that stage. My officials are much nicer than I am, and perhaps they engage for much longer than I would in those circumstances. I hope that some of my traits will start to rub off on them. In discussions with officials, I have said that we need to provide guidance to our teams that work on the ground that says, "Yes, engagement is good, but you have to reach a point in a certain time frame when enforcement kicks in". My officials have undertaken to look at how we can produce that guidance for our teams that work on the ground.”
“As a Minister and a public representative, I am more than happy to take on more roads and improve the lot of the people we collectively serve. However, Members will also understand that, if I take on unadopted alleyways or, indeed, unadopted developments, I would take on a huge financial burden for the public purse. The money that I would need to bring those up to standard would mean less money for my Department to carry out other services and less money for the Departments of Health, Education and Communities. There is a cost.”
“Again, it is something we should look at to ensure that bonds meet the right value, especially if a site develops over three, five, seven or 10 years. How will we ensure that the bond that my Department holds will meet the value of the repairs or installation works required, if, for whatever reason, the developer does not complete the works? I am more than happy to undertake that work. <BR /> <BR />There is a necessity to look at the legislation that protects homeowners, although it may not all fall into my Department's remit. I can confirm that my Department is not responsible for the inspection or maintenance of unadopted alleyways. It is the Department's policy not to adopt alleyways and pathways that are not essential for safe vehicular and pedestrian access.”
“They do not understand the danger that those may not be available. One legislative option, which may not necessarily fall under the remit of DFI or a private Member's Bill, is that we may have to strengthen the consumer rights of home purchasers. We have to look at that. <BR /> <BR />Members have mentioned that there is a potential for pollution from incorrectly constructed sewerage works. I note Tom's comments about the inspection process for pipework, and that model needs to be followed up. <BR /> <BR />My Department increased the bonds after a significant period when there was no increase in the value of the bonds. The increase came about following an instruction that I gave when I was in post as Minister for a short time in 2022. The increase became a reality in 2023.”
“<BR /> <BR />I understand the significant challenges faced by homeowners on unadopted sites who seek to sell their property, and I share Members' concerns about the situation that homeowners have been left in by developers. My Department is ready to work with other stakeholders to identify solutions that may help overcome those challenges, including strengthening the rights of homeowners, being more proactive and engaging in enforcement action. <BR /> <BR />One of the benefits of this debate is that it highlights to potential homeowners the liabilities they may take on when they buy a new home in a development. Understandably, many people do not understand how the system works and rightly expect that, when they buy a home in a new development, the basic amenities will be available to them when they move in.”
“Where a developer has defaulted on its agreements by leaving a site incomplete or the company ceases to trade, DFI Roads and NI Water have the discretionary option to commence enforcement by using notices under the relevant legislation and using the bond moneys to complete the works necessary to bring the infrastructure to the required standard. If the value of the work necessary to bring the development to an adoptable standard exceeds the value of the bond, my Department has no funding stream to bridge the gap. Unless alternative funding can be identified, the development will remain unadopted. It is likely that the majority of the developments that have been left for decades without full adoption fall into that category.”
“The statutory basis for the adoption of private streets by the Department is in the Private Streets (NI) Order 1980 and the Private Streets (Amendment) Order 1992. The Private Streets Order requires developers to take out a bond surety, which is a financial guarantee that the developer will meet its obligations or that, if the developer defaults, the authority may draw down the bond in order to have the works completed to the required standard. I will return to the issue of bonds. <BR /> <BR />There is a similar mechanism in the Water and Sewerage Services Act 2016.”
“For a long-term comparison, the 2012 inquiry into unadopted roads found that there were then approximately 1,200 unadopted sites. While the number of unadopted developments remains significant, my Department continues to work with developers, stakeholders and homeowners to further reduce the backlog. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge the point raised in the motion that some developments have been left for decades without full adoption. It is important to state that it is the developer's responsibility to ensure that the infrastructure is constructed to the correct standard to allow the adoption. However, it may be useful to highlight the powers available to my Department in seeking to facilitate adoption of a development.”
“DFI Roads data indicates that approximately 92% of housing developments are adopted with no need for my Department to engage in enforcement action or for the development to be added to the list of unadopted sites. However, I fully recognise that, despite the fact that most developments are constructed successfully, a significant number of developments are not completed to the correct standard and remain unadopted. I also recognise that each unadopted development has an impact on the residents and the families who live there. <BR /> <BR />My Department defines an unadopted backlog development as one with at least 80% of houses occupied but infrastructure that remains unadopted. Currently, 839 developments are designated as backlog developments.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Members who tabled the motion and the Members who have spoken on it. I am conscious of the private Member's Bill to be introduced by Deborah Erskine on the subject. My officials are gathering information to inform her proposal, and I look forward to working with Deborah as that private Member's Bill makes its way through the Assembly. There may well be a need for a change in legislation on some matters, and I am sure that some of the ideas and, indeed, knowledge from the 2012 report will help to inform that. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, it is important to note that the majority of housing developments pass through the processes of planning consents, construction and adoption with relatively few issues.”
“Any site that is not adopted is unadopted for one reason only: the developer has not carried out their duty to bring the site up to an adoptable standard. It is not a case of DFI turning around and saying, "We do not want it". I know that the nature of the game that we are involved in is to have a go at the Department or whoever it might be, and that is fair enough. However, factually, any site that is not adopted has not been adopted because a developer has failed to bring it up to standard.”
“Yes, and we have seen significant growth in the installation of charging points by the private and commercial sector. Now that the private and commercial sector has been given the confidence that we are moving towards zero-emission vehicles and that we are part of that mandate, they will have the confidence to invest in charging points moving forward.”
“We passed important legislation in the House last week to allow an amendment Order to go through Westminster early in the new year in relation to zero-emission vehicles and setting quotas for new sales of those vehicles. Zero-emission vehicles are crucial to the plan to tackle climate change and decarbonise the transport sector. It is part of the main thrust of my Department's decarbonisation policy in relation to transport.”
“My Department is working with the local council and others to support those, in some instances, fledgling resilience groups to ensure that they have the information required. The information will be shared in the usual manner, whether it is through text or email alert, but full information will be given to those groups on how they play their role in responding to flooding incidents.”
“The Member will be aware of the review that was carried out in relation to the flooding in that area and the lessons to be learned from the responses of agencies to the flooding and how we react in the future. One of the most immediate actions that we can take is to continue to develop how we support the local community to be a resilient group and, where we can, have sandbags and other measures in place and available to local businesses and local community groups to distribute more quickly. That is an important step forward. The lessons from last year are being worked through and will be learned from.”
“Without a doubt. While I understand the frustration of commuters and, indeed, businesses about the disruption, which is significant, the outworkings and completion of the work will also be significant and ground-changing for Belfast and will see Belfast have a state-of-the-art transport hub with fantastic public realm works around it, and that will be an attractive asset to the city.”
“To alleviate some of the disruption and to support the taxi industry, I am bringing forward proposals that will permit class A and class C taxis to use certain bus lanes in the vicinity of the works. The Member will be aware that the taxi industry provides an important service in our community, ensuring that people, including the most vulnerable in society, have door-to-door access to work, education, socialising and medical appointments. Tourists also use the service, and it will be used to bring people to the station for connection to public transport.”
“I assure the Member that that is the case. Back as far as May or April, we notified Assembly Members that there would be significant disruption in Belfast city centre, and we have also undertaken to keep that under review. Where lessons can be learned as the work is ongoing and where we can alleviate traffic congestion ahead of schedule or do it in a different way, I can assure the Member that we will do that.”
“I am sorry that I cannot confirm to the Member whether that is a permanent closure, but I will get him that information. The plan is to get as much of the public realm works around the Grand Central station as possible completed as quickly as possible so that, at the end of the work, there will be no further traffic congestion and the public, businesses and visitors to Belfast will have a public realm scheme that everybody can be proud of and that will attract visitors to the city.”
“As I said to a Member in my answer to a previous question, if the Member chooses to write to my private office, I will take the invite under consideration.”
“I am not aware of that specific area, though I am tempted to say that it is interesting to hear that there are traffic jams outside Belfast. <BR /> <BR />With new developments, the local division responds to planning applications on the basis of whether the road network can or cannot take additional commuter traffic as a result of further development. It may suggest that a developer contributes to the local road network to allow progress to be made. I am not aware of the specific area to which the Member refers, but I will come back to him with more detail, should he so wish.”
“NI Water undertakes the work that the Member calls for, and it can provide that information. I will ask for that information to be provided to the Member. When it comes to a strategy on how we will deliver that, over half a billion pounds of public funds are being given to NI Water this year. That will be invested across a range of areas, including waste water treatment and the delivery of fresh water to all our homes. <BR /> <BR />NI Water also tells me that it can connect up to 18,000 properties through various measures, including developers separating foul water from rainwater. Part of the PC21 development plan this year allows NI Water to connect up to 4,500 properties to the system as well. Yes, there are challenges, but we are open for business.”
“It is an impediment in all constituencies, but there are towns and villages within constituencies that may be impacted on to a greater or lesser degree. It is important to send out this message: we are open for business. I encourage developers to engage at as early a stage as possible with NI Water, which has set up a unit specifically for the purpose of speaking to developers about their proposals. Yes, there are challenges facing NI Water, as there are with every other public service that we operate, but there are also continued opportunities for investment and development across all constituencies.”
“I will avoid giving into the rhythm of the dance move. The British Government should immediately lift their embargo on those deals. It is causing uncertainty. As the Member will know, any uncertainty is bad for business, bad for investment and bad for councils and the Executive in planning the way forward.”
“The Enniskillen bypass is proceeding. That, it has to be said, is due to the commitment of the Executive to it, even though it is part of the Mid South West region growth deal from which the British Government withdrew. I assure the Member that the Executive have committed to it and that it is going ahead.”
“As I said, we are reviewing parking as part of the transport plans. If the terms of reference do not cover the Member's concerns, we may need to do a separate review of Lisburn on its own. I have no doubt that some of my Newry colleagues will ask, "Well, what about Newry?", but let us see whether what we currently have in play is fit for purpose. If not, I commit to reviewing that.”
“Part of the transport plans is about how we manage our parking in an era in which we are trying to reduce carbon emissions etc. I will certainly engage with my officials to see whether we can fit the review that the Member referred to into what is currently going on and, if not, how we move the situation on in Lisburn and Newry. That will have to be done in conjunction with the local councils.”
“A controlled parking zone was introduced in Lisburn in 2008 following an approach from the council to review the on-street car parking arrangements in the city. Controlled parking zones aim to manage demand in an appropriate way, deterring all-day parking and facilitating improved customer access to businesses by encouraging the ongoing turnover of parking spaces. As the Member will be acutely aware, the current tariff for on-street parking in Lisburn in the controlled parking zone is £1 per hour. Three traffic attendants are currently deployed from Monday to Saturday between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm. There was a rationale for the introduction of the original scheme, which was brought in after engagement with the council.”
“One of the reasons why we set up the working group and tasked officials was to interrogate questions such as that. On the face of it, you would imagine that there are opportunities to use community transport and achieve savings. Investment in community transport is investment in the local community. We want officials to investigate that and engage with Community Transport and others to identify the most practical way in which it can support other Departments in the delivery of their services.”
“The computer cannot keep up with you. <BR /> <BR />On 9 September 2024, I met Minister Nesbitt and Minister Muir to discuss the cross-departmental working group on community transport, which I established during my previous tenure as Minister. We collectively agreed that the group will consider whether transport in the community can provide a more cost-effective, value-for-money service delivery model to meet the needs of users and investigate the potential for community transport providers to be part of a collaborative group of transport options and pathways that can be accessed by the population.”
“I do agree. When you look at Belfast's Gaeltacht Quarter, you see that it has a thriving Irish-speaking community where the language is used and visible. It is only right and proper that Departments such as mine support and promote it in line with the work that is being done by many in the voluntary and business sectors.”
“Apologies. <BR /> <BR />On 10 October 2024, I announced a bilingual traffic sign pilot scheme for the Gaeltacht Quarter in west Belfast. As part of the pilot, bilingual traffic signs and road markings will be installed on the Falls Road between the Springfield Road and Whiterock Road. The majority of signs and markings relate to bus lanes, and the remainder will be mixed parking and direction signs. The Gaeltacht Quarter is an ideal location for the pilot. The provision of traffic signs and road markings in Irish and English will complement the use of those languages by businesses and organisations in the Gaeltacht Quarter.”
“If the Member wishes to write to my private office, I will consider the invitation and respond in due course. <BR /> <BR />Regardless of where roadworks are taking place, I understand commuters' frustration when they are caught up in them. However, they will see the benefits of not only the roadworks when they are completed but the associated active travel route, which will be hugely beneficial to the people of Ballykelly.”
“I suppose that the same answer can be given to both questions. The transport plan will determine whether a bypass is still required around Ballykelly. I cannot give you a firm date as to when that transport plan will be delivered. We are working our way through those plans. They are quite staff intensive. A lot of data has to be collected and a lot of consultation is involved. The transport plan will provide a definitive way forward, not only for Ballykelly but for many other towns, villages and, indeed, cities across the region.”