Chris Hazzard
South Down · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“The order I am bringing forward extends the power for my Department to pay a grant to NI Water in lieu of domestic water charges. The current powers to pay a grant will expire on 31 March 2017, and the Water and Sewerage Services Act 2016, which was passed by the Assembly in January last year, provided the power to extend that date by an…”
“I thank those Members who have commented on the motion this evening. Some general issues and several specific points have been raised. <BR /> <BR />I will turn first to Mr Farry's question: why, for the period of time?”
“I am delighted that the Alliance argument around water charges does not chime with more of the electorate and that the particular reason does not hold sway, because this Executive certainly are not for turning on this issue. There will be no water charges for domestic customers, and we have ensured that.”
“<BR /> <BR />The second point that Mr Farry raised was around governance issues and the way forward. They are all issues that I have given thought to and that, I have no doubt, would have featured in the mandate in the time ahead, but we are not at that point today. The Assembly is about to be dissolved.”
“However, the imminent dissolution of the Assembly means I have decided to bring the draft order here today. <BR /> <BR />The grant provides NI Water with the funding to enable it to maintain drinking water supplies and deliver sewerage services.”
“I believe that this order will reinforce the Executive's commitment not to bring in water charging for households, and I thank the Members for their support.”
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“I believe that this order will reinforce the Executive's commitment not to bring in water charging for households, and I thank the Members for their support. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I would also like to thank the Examiner of Statutory Rules, the Committee for Infrastructure for its speedy consideration of this order and the Business Committee for its assistance in enabling me to bring this important legislation to the Assembly today. I ask the Assembly to approve the order.”
“I am delighted that the Alliance argument around water charges does not chime with more of the electorate and that the particular reason does not hold sway, because this Executive certainly are not for turning on this issue. There will be no water charges for domestic customers, and we have ensured that. <BR /> <BR />I am very aware that article 9 of the water framework directive requires member states to have water pricing policies that provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently. NI Water already charges non-domestic users. Also, a proportion of the domestic rates contributes towards the cost of domestic water charges. The Executive have undertaken not to introduce household charges, and I believe that runs in tandem to that.”
“I welcome the comments. I am not sure if the Alliance Party members are upfront and honest with the people on the doors when they say, "We are against all of this, but, at the end of the day, do you know that we also want to introduce water charges?". I am pretty sure it is something that they keep off their election trifolds.”
“<BR /> <BR />The second point that Mr Farry raised was around governance issues and the way forward. They are all issues that I have given thought to and that, I have no doubt, would have featured in the mandate in the time ahead, but we are not at that point today. The Assembly is about to be dissolved. The measures that we are taking here tonight are to ensure that NI Water does not dissolve in front of our very eyes too and that customers are then asked to pick up the burden for that decision. So, that is the position that we are at. I am more than happy to state that we will not be introducing domestic water charging.”
“I thank those Members who have commented on the motion this evening. Some general issues and several specific points have been raised. <BR /> <BR />I will turn first to Mr Farry's question: why, for the period of time? Members will be aware, obviously — we have made a public statement about this — that the Executive have made a commitment not to introduce water charges in the current mandate for domestic customers and this time was due to run out in 2021. The extension to 2022 was required to give the new Executive time to consider that position on water charging. In addition, NI Water estimates that it would require two to three years from any change in the position before it could introduce a charging system for domestic customers; but that will not be happening.”
“However, the imminent dissolution of the Assembly means I have decided to bring the draft order here today. <BR /> <BR />The grant provides NI Water with the funding to enable it to maintain drinking water supplies and deliver sewerage services. Without funding, NI Water would quickly run out of cash and those services, which are fundamental to public health, economic growth and environmental protection would be put at risk. <BR /> <BR />I commend the motion to the Assembly and ask that it approve the order.”
“The order I am bringing forward extends the power for my Department to pay a grant to NI Water in lieu of domestic water charges. The current powers to pay a grant will expire on 31 March 2017, and the Water and Sewerage Services Act 2016, which was passed by the Assembly in January last year, provided the power to extend that date by an order laid before and approved by resolution of the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />The Assembly will be aware of the commitment of the Executive to not bring in water charging. It is the intention of the Executive to continue to bear the cost of water charges on behalf of domestic customers for the next five years. My Department had a timetable for implementing this order that would have enabled it to complete the draft affirmative resolution process in adequate time prior to the expiry date of 31 March 2017.”
“But again, without straying into Education matters, we need to find a more sustainable way to finance schools, never mind school transport.”
“I absolutely support the idea that, where it is practical and sensible, we need to transport our kids in a safe situation. What I do not agree with is some of the education policies set down on school transport that mean that some people cannot get a bus two or three miles down the road but others can be bused halfway across the world to go to a particular set of schools. At times, I got six buses a day to go to school, and I do not think that that is right. When it comes to school transport, we need to find a more sustainable way of going forward.”
“That may well be the situation, but I will have to clarify the issue of responsibility with officials. I think that there is an avenue for looking at school transport, and we as a party have looked at it. We spend far too much money on school transport — there are no two ways about it. We know that that is the case for a number of reasons, and we have to look at it. I sympathise with the Minister of Education and the Education Authority, which have to deal with being in that position with their budgets. There is no doubt that there is a way out of this. I have talked to Translink officials in recent weeks about delivering transport services such as home-to-school transport in a more efficient manner, and there are ways in which to do that.”
“I am more than happy to look at schemes that get numbers on to our buses. If we extend such a project, it will cost a lot more money. Those are the sorts of implications that roll out of either Tory austerity or, as I said, the effects of a hard-line Brexit — I am aware that the Member and his party campaigned for Brexit — and budgets are being hit. There are therefore consequences to some of these decisions. My focus and that of my Department is on getting more people on to public transport and making our public transport system more sustainable. As I said, I am more than happy to look at any way of doing that.”
“I have had various conversations with Translink officials over the past number of months and up to this point about our fare structures and what we can do to enhance passenger numbers. Translink has taken a number of exciting and innovative decisions in the run-up to Christmas to attract people on to public transport. That has been hugely successful. The number of people using our Metro services has gone through the roof, and the number of people who, most importantly, use the Ulsterbus rural service has gone up as well. There is an onus on Translink now — I am certainly more than happy to work with it over the next number of weeks — to develop a system that gets as many people on to our public transport as possible. Fares will be very much part of that.”
“Aye, it will probably be a warm enough shed, right enough. <BR /> <BR />At the end of the day, Europe has been good to the people of the North regarding infrastructure projects, and the interchange is one such project that has suffered at the hands of the Brexiteers who cheer on the other side of the House. That is the situation that we find ourselves in today.”
“Members can say "Hear, hear" till the cows come home, but when farmers lose out on various grants for various things, the cows will be coming home to an empty shed. At the end of the day, we were able to facilitate —”
“There are a number of issues that probably make it difficult to outline a very accurate timescale for moving forward with the York Street interchange, not least the fact that the funding difficulties that we faced have, I suggest, been exacerbated by the Prime Minister's statement today on Brexit. It is very clear that we, out of any of the states, are heading for a very hard Brexit.”
“The York Street interchange certainly remains one of my departmental road priorities. I recently published my decision to accept the independent inspector's report. My Department will now begin to engage with the community around a number of the issues that were identified in that report.”
“I am more than happy. We have a number of park-and-ride facilities across the North that are looking for enhancements. I have met some of my colleagues from across the way about Cullybackey and some of the upgrades to the train line and the situation we are in. I am very pleased to say that we will see serious enhancements to the park-and-ride in Cullybackey. Those will happen in the months ahead.”
“The Member will want to look at Hansard to clarify that. I did not say that it was untrue; I said that I was not aware of it. The Member has had correspondence from my Department — from me — that this has been the case. I also went on to say that there are a number of on-site, low-cost remedial actions that will improve the safety of that. It is not a case of misleading the Member, as he wishes to allude to.”
“I am not aware of the email that you are referring to. If you want to correspond with me on this over the next few days, I will be more than happy for you to do so.”
“I think I am due to receive that report in and around the summer. That is the situation. Let us make no bones about it; this situation would be a hell of a lot different if the Member's party had taken a different course of action prior to and after Christmas. This is no chutzpah.”
“There is no doubt that, even since these stories hit the headlines, there is a big demand for residents' parking schemes across the board. That is something that we are going to have to deal with in the months ahead. Certainly, I hope that I am in a position to be able to do that, but, as I said, if the Member's party had taken different actions ahead of Christmas, I could have provided a bit more clarity than I am able to provide today. The message is clear to those constituents that this is a priority for my Department. The value and justification for residents' parking schemes are not things that rest with just the head of the Department but with my officials also.”
“We have to take cognisance of the fact that people are asking this type of question. It is not just me, the political head of my Department; officials are also keen for such schemes to go ahead. As we progress a number of the schemes, I have confidence that they will roll out.”
“I do not recall the answer that I provided to you at that time, but I make a commitment to look at that and to come back to you on the situation as regards those two roads.”
“We are well on target. I believe that nearly two thirds of the road repairs have been completed. We would probably have done a lot more, but, in some areas, NI Water and some utility contractors were due to lay mains. Instead of doing the resurfacing and then having it dug up, we decided to hold back in a number of places so that the utility work can take place and afterwards we will do the resurfacing. It has been a huge success. Everywhere you go and talk to people in rural communities, the state of rural roads has certainly been a big issue. It was a big issue in the last election, and in the coming election people will obviously raise the issue of the state of the roads. However, I would like to think that, this year, the angst on the doorsteps might not be just as high as it was last time.”
“The first point to make is that the £75 million is not enough, and I have had discussions with the Southern Government on the issue. I have met Shane Ross, and we have discussed the need to go back to the £400 million figure originally mentioned; that is the figure that we need to see on the table to move forward a lot of this. However, the Member should rest assured that flagship Executive priority projects will move forward in the years ahead.”
“Absolutely, and I am glad that the Member has taken the time to raise the issue. As he outlined, flagship projects are Executive priorities. I have had discussions with my colleague the Minister of Finance and with the Finance Department and it is very clear that the funding remains in place. These are priorities, and I, as Minister, have left clear instructions about my ministerial priorities on a number of issues, including flagship Executive priority projects, such as the A5, the A6, the Belfast transport hub and, of course, Belfast rapid transit, which is due to come live next year.”
“I hope that it will. As Belfast continues to grow into areas such as Carryduff and the Four Winds, you see the demand, so it is a prime contender to do that. I travel that road regularly and see the number of people using the buses, cycling and walking. As I said in my original answer, my greenway plan and vision for the future and the Belfast cycle network plan will include increased facilities to meet the demand for cycling in that part of the world. I hope that the Member will not have to wait much longer to set eyes on the plan.”
“<BR /> <BR />The message for people in Carryduff is that they are on the main bus routes, and my greenway plan, which I outlined recently, and the Belfast bicycle network plan, which will be rolled out very shortly, includes a greenway from Carryduff to the city centre, which will allow people to cycle in and get off the road. The message to people in Carryduff is to make a decision to get off the road and get onto public transport. A couple of fairly large housing developments will be coming into the Carryduff area. As I said in my original answer, if you have a specific junction in mind, my officials will be more than happy to liaise with you.”
“I am delighted that people are seeking enhanced park-and-ride services. The Cairnshill park-and-ride facility, which is probably the most relevant one, has been a huge success. It takes hundreds of vehicles off the Saintfield Road every day, perhaps saving us close to 2 kilometres of congestion every single day. <BR /> <BR />I have seen plans for a second wave of park-and-ride facilities right across the North. Those will start to roll out in future months. They include Clough and Downpatrick in my constituency, which will alleviate some of the traffic you mentioned coming in.”
“This allows for optimum control strategies and signal timings to be used along the route to ensure minimum delay to all road users. If you have a specific junction or location in mind, my departmental officials would be more than happy to look it.”
“I can advise that my Department aims to minimise congestion on the highway network as far as is practicable. The A24 Saintfield Road corridor that extends into Carryduff carries some 30,000 vehicles a day, and some level of congestion during peak travel times is inevitable. Carryduff itself is restricted by the existence and operation of three major junctions in relatively close proximity: the A24 Ballynahinch Road/Church Road/Hillsborough Road staggered signalised junction; the A7 Saintfield Road/Church Road/Comber Road staggered signalised junction; and the Carryduff roundabout. <BR /> <BR />In general, the operation of the traffic signals on the Saintfield Road corridor, and indeed all arterial routes into Belfast, are monitored by staff at the Transport NI traffic information and control centre using its CCTV network.”
“I am glad that the Member has done a survey of all the towns in his district to detect the number of redcoats and when they are operating. There are a number of reasons why this may be the situation. The Department's parking enforcement contractor deploys traffic attendants to any town or city that has parking restrictions. To maximise effectiveness and efficiency under the enforcement contract, traffic attendants are deployed to those places where they will have the most impact on road safety and/or traffic progression. <BR /> <BR />Coalisland has relatively few parking restrictions compared with other towns. My Department's parking enforcement unit carried out a short trial of enforcement in Coalisland on three occasions in 2016. That resulted in two warning notices being issued over the three visits.”
“During the development of the scheme, the provision of parking and the need for any restriction on parking will be reviewed.”
“<BR /> <BR />Parking prohibitions and restrictions and parking provision are generally indicated on the road using traffic signs and road markings, which are prescribed under the Traffic Signs Regulations 1997 or otherwise authorised by my Department. As well as providing essential road-user information, traffic signs help to ensure that road space is used in the way in which it was intended to be used by facilitating enforcement by traffic attendants. <BR /> <BR />In the case of Coalisland, there are relatively few parking restrictions when compared with other towns. In the past, there have been numerous attempts to introduce parking restrictions. However, these were opposed by local people, local shop frontagers and public representatives. Mid Ulster Council is currently planning the delivery of a public realm scheme in Coalisland.”
“My Department has the ability to regulate and control traffic using powers provided in the Road Traffic Regulation Order 1997. These powers include being able to both prohibit and restrict parking as well as providing parking places. We generally employ parking prohibitions or restrictions to resolve traffic progression and road safety issues in order to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently. A decision to provide any measure, whether it is intended to prohibit or restrict parking or indeed provide parking, will be based on local circumstances. Provision may also be part of an overall transport plan for an area.”
“I am not aware of any plan for remedial works being abandoned. Again, it is certainly not a decision that I have taken or am aware of. As I outlined in my answer to the previous question from Mr Logan, there are a number of low-cost, site-specific recommendations that I think will take place over the short to medium term and that will help to provide greater safety to commuters on that stretch of road in future.”
“I will indeed. That piece of work has been carried out in the past. That particular stretch of road has been a focus for the Department. The recent safety report also recommends a number of low-cost, site-specific measures to be implemented in the short term. These include the provision and review of street lighting at Woodgreen Road and Barnish Road, a review of signs and lines along the entire route to ensure clarity and consistency, as well as the legislative change to ban the right turn at Woodgreen Road and Cromkill Road as I have detailed.”
“I am happy to confirm that collision remedial work at the Cromkill Road/Lisnevenagh Road junction is programmed to commence within the next few weeks. This work to prohibit the right turn from Cromkill Road towards Antrim will directly address the primary causation factors of recent collisions, where traffic turning right out of Cromkill Road has been struck by northbound vehicles on the Lisnevenagh Road. <BR /> <BR />There are two viable alternative routes for traffic wishing to travel south on the A26 from the Cromkill Road and Galgorm Road area of the town. Both routes use the Seven Towers roundabout and both are considered a reasonable and safer alternative to crossing the busy northbound carriageway of the A26.”
“I am not aware of any commitment. Certainly, it is not something that I have addressed since coming into post. So, as far as I am aware, it is not a change of direction. I certainly have not given any instruction to change direction. Succinctly; I am not aware of any previous direction on that.”
“Currently, when compared to the demand for other major road schemes, it is not a priority. It is an issue on which I have had discussions with local representatives. I understand its importance to the local area but, as I have laid out, I believe that there is scope for progress on that, and that scope will be in relation to developers and the local council.”
“In the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan 2015, the Knockmore to Sprucefield link road, known as the M1 Knockmore link, has been identified as a developer-led proposal. This means that it is the responsibility of the developers of adjacent land to deliver the road scheme as part of their development. I understand that Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council is currently considering how the scheme could help to unlock development potential in the west Lisburn area. <BR /> <BR />The council is aware that the limited capital funding available to my Department is directed towards the maintenance and improvement of the strategic road network and it is highly unlikely that any financial contribution that can be made towards the scheme can be justified at this time.”
“The Executive are currently focused on delivering their capital flagship projects and there is insufficient funding to continue with the development of this scheme. Further development of the scheme will be dependent on the availability of finance through future budgetary statements. <BR /> <BR />On a more general note, my Department is progressing the development of new transport plans, in line with the new approach to regional transportation. This will set out a long-term programme of investment. Development of these plans will provide an opportunity for all strategic roads across the North, including the upgrade to the M1/A1 link, to be considered for future funding.”
“Go raibh maith agat. I refer you to my previous answer on this issue that was issued to you on 19 September. At this time, the situation remains unchanged. My Department is aware of congestion suffered by commuters using the A1/M1 junction and has a long-term proposal to provide a new road link between the A1 and M1 motorway bypassing Sprucefield. <BR /> <BR />The proposed scheme, which falls within Transport NI's strategic road improvement programme, will benefit strategic traffic by avoiding delays in the Sprucefield area. The proposed scheme was taken to a preliminary stage of development, which identified two possible route options, but further options will need to be examined.”
“As this question relates to salting and not to the issue that the Member has raised, I would be more than happy to correspond with him if he wants to write to me. I am sure that he is able to get onto a website and see the Department's address.”
“You would be talking about hundreds of millions of pounds if we were to expand it out to every single rural road, and I am sure that nobody in the Chamber would be calling for that.”
“As I have just outlined, it is entirely unrealistic to expect the Department to be able to salt every single rural road in particular across the North. It simply would not be affordable or practical in any sense. So, we have to prioritise. As I said, when it comes to schools, the best solution here is to salt that route of the shortest distance. <BR /> <BR />I make two appeals here. Schools go above and beyond what is expected of them to ensure that their entrances and areas around the school are made safe, but the Government cannot be around every corner with salt in a bucket. We need to make sure that drivers take that extra bit of care. We have been fairly fortunate so far this winter that the winter has been mild, but we are talking about millions of pounds invested in salting our network, and we do that.”
“It was recognised that it would not be possible to salt all roads to such schools. The secondary salting is, therefore, carried out on the shortest route from the school to a road on the salting schedule. <BR /> <BR />I should highlight that secondary salting occurs after the main salting schedule has been completed and when problems remain with ice and snow on untreated roads. It does not occur in response to normal frost conditions, when such roads are passable with care and would benefit little from the application of salt, as they would not experience the substantial traffic needed to disperse the salt solution across the carriageway.”
“The processes and procedures operating in Fermanagh and South Tyrone are no different from anywhere else. Those processes were reviewed following a period of prolonged ice and snow in November and December 2008 that resulted in the closure of a number of rural schools. The disruption at the time prompted the then Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, to ask officials to carry out an examination of the operational response to areas around rural schools and, in particular, those that were regularly affected by adverse weather conditions. This exercise resulted in a revised winter service policy that provided priority secondary salting to schools with a history of closure due to inaccessibility associated solely with the presence of snow or ice on the adjacent network.”
“It is fair to say that this is a fluid situation. Just today, the British Prime Minister has made a statement that will be deeply worrying to public and passenger transport providers on the island of Ireland. One thing that has come out of her statement today is that a hard border looks inevitable at the minute, and that will be deeply concerning. It is a very fluid situation, but, rest assured, it is one that my officials certainly have on their agenda to discuss with officials in Dublin and London.”
“<BR /> <BR />That said, it is too early to make an informed assessment of any impact on the North’s international passenger transport arising from a withdrawal from the EU. This will largely depend on the terms of the relationship that is eventually agreed with the EU. My officials are engaged with officials in the Department for Transport (DFT) EU exit coordination unit to ensure that they include in their thinking the specific issues that impact on the island of Ireland.”