Danny Kennedy
Newry and Armagh · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“<BR /> <BR />I know the circumstances that we are in, but my hope is that departmental officials will continue to explore these issues and find solutions so that, at the earliest point, those solutions can be delivered to my constituency and to the people who have such frustration with the lack of service.”
“This situation is also prevalent in other rural areas of Northern Ireland. People in areas such as Lissummon, Ballygorman, Cladymilltown, Altnamackan, Loughgall, Mullaghglass and countless others, unfortunately, all of which are located in my constituency, find themselves in a position currently where they are provided with little or no e…”
“I, with others, receive regular contact from my constituents on this issue. It is abundantly clear from the representations that I receive that the lack of broadband provision, particularly in rural areas, impacts in many ways on families and businesses that reside in various locations across the constituency.”
“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I thank you and the Business Committee for affording me the opportunity to debate the issue of broadband provision directly relating to my constituency of Newry and Armagh. I also place on record my good wishes to you as you leave the House, and I wish you well for the future.”
“The lack of high-quality broadband, for instance, has an impact on the ability of many rural businesses to function efficiently, placing them clearly at a disadvantage to other competitors in their particular field.”
“I could continue to detail many more circumstances, but I want other Members to contribute and to hear what the Minister has to say. I take this opportunity to make an impassioned plea to the Minister to pursue, within a quick time frame, the network improvements that are so clearly required.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,097 lines we hold for Danny Kennedy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 13 of 22.
“I am grateful to the Member. He highlights the severe challenge I face in balancing the books of my budget. I indicated in my answer that I simply cannot afford external contractors even at this stage. Addressing that situation will depend on in-year monitoring rounds. It is a very challenging situation, and I understand the concerns expressed, but I also understand that I cannot provide services for which I do not have the money.”
“I will be able to confirm that that cut can be completed only after I see the outcome of the June monitoring round. <BR /> <BR />In some areas, my Department has previously part-funded grass cutting by councils that wish to have a higher standard of grass maintenance for aesthetic and amenity reasons. I will have to cease that practice in 2015-16. Budgetary pressures in 2015-16 are such that my Department will not be able to employ external contractors. However, my Department will endeavour to ensure that it meets its legislative requirement on noxious weeds.”
“My Department’s grass-cutting policy provides for two cuts per year in rural areas and five cuts in urban areas. It also includes the areas required for sight lines. However, due to severe pressures in my Department’s resource budget, routine grass cutting and a number of other essential services will either have to be scaled back or stopped altogether in 2015-16. <BR /> <BR />The budget allocated to my Department leaves no funding whatsoever to employ external contractors to carry out grass cutting. I do, however, appreciate the hazards and economic issues that would result from the complete cessation of grass-cutting services by my Department. I am, therefore, likely to approve some limited work by my Department’s internal workforce, allowing it to commence a single cut of grass for 2015.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. I absolutely and firmly state, on behalf of myself, the Department and Translink, that safety remains our prime concern and absolute priority. That goes for the maintenance of the entire fleet. The Member has my assurance on that.”
“<BR /> <BR />With modest funding in 2015-16, the scheme could be advanced to draft order stage. That would be the notice of intention to make the direction and vesting orders and the publication of the environmental statement. That would facilitate holding a public inquiry in 2016, if required, and possibly making the direction order in 2016. Thereafter, the delivery of the bypass would be dependent on the availability of finance. In the event that capital funding becomes available, the bypass could commence in 2017, with construction taking approximately 20 months to complete. Landowner consultations have been ongoing, and the project is being reasonably well received.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. I am certainly not prepared to take responsibility over 30 years, but to give an update on the Enniskillen southern bypass, my officials are seeking to grant approval to stage 2 of the scheme assessment report before the end of March this year. That would leave the Department in a position to announce the preferred alignment and to hold a public information day to help to inform and invite comment from the public. <BR /> <BR />The new road will be almost 2 kilometres in length, and the overall project cost is put in the region of somewhere between £25 million and £30 million. Costs are dependent on whether the new River Erne crossing will be a landmark structure or a more conventional design.”
“As well as taking forward the scheme in 2015-16, my Department will be taking forward a number of other smaller local transport and safety measure schemes, and that programme is currently being developed.”
“At the outset, I express my very sincere sympathy to the family of Jamie Nelson after the recent tragic accident on the A4. Indeed, I express my sympathy to families of all recent accident victims. <BR /> <BR />I am aware of traffic congestion on the A4 through Enniskillen town at peak times and have decided to include a road widening scheme in the 2015-16 programme on the Dublin Road, close to its junction with Wickham link. The scheme, which will have construction costs in the region of £650,000, will create an additional traffic lane exiting Enniskillen and travelling eastbound towards Belfast and Dublin and will improve traffic flows in that part of the town. Delivery of the scheme in 2015-16 will be dependent on successful completion of land negotiation processes.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his comments. I think that he makes a very important point. It is my view that the active schools travel programme should continue to be funded, and I will look at every possible method by which I can continue to do that. My Department, along with the Public Health Agency, continues to fund Sustrans to promote cycling and walking in schools as part of the Active School Travel initiative. We are currently meeting other Departments and the Public Health Agency to consider the future of this programme beyond 2016.”
“The Member may know that there are regular meetings on road safety issues involving agencies and Departments, under the chairmanship of the Minister of the Environment. I and my officials play a part in those meetings through looking at issues and identifying areas in which progress needs to be made, not only through education but, if necessary, through enforcement.”
“In circumstances in which that is happening, it is to be deplored. It is a worrying circumstance indeed, and I hope very much that parents and drivers will reflect on it carefully and cease such activity. Obviously, road safety is a matter principally for the Minister of the Environment and DOE, but, as the Member rightly indicated, there are the cross-cutting issues of road infrastructure, justice and potentially health and education to be considered. I am open to anything that will improve the situation, because it is intolerable that people behave in such a way. They clearly pose a danger, not only to themselves but to people in the immediate area.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary. He makes a very valid point. In these days and months of very constrained financial circumstances, clear priorities have to be established, not least of which is the safety of our school population. I agree very much with what the Member said, and I hope that, on further reflection, sense will prevail with the Minister of Education.”
“<BR /> <BR />My Department also provides road safety awareness and bicycle training each year in 60 schools through the Active School Travel programme, which is jointly funded by the Public Health Agency. The programme was supplemented in 2014-15 with additional capital funding of £1 million, which provided infrastructure near or en route to a number of schools with the aim of encouraging safe active travel for the school journey. That included the widening of footways, new and improved crossing facilities, and new cycle tracks.”
“My Department takes the safety of children on their journeys to and from school very seriously and has implemented a significant number of safety schemes, many through the Safer Routes to Schools programme, which was introduced in 2005. Those schemes use engineering measures to warn drivers of the presence of pupils and to reduce vehicle speeds. <BR /> <BR />The Safer Routes to Schools measures included enhanced electronic signing, road markings and coloured road surfacing to draw drivers’ attention to the presence of school children. As each school is unique, additional measures, including central islands, footpaths, lay-bys, drop-off and collection areas, and enforceable keep clear zigzags can also be considered.”
“He will be greatly mourned as party leader. He was a one-party man: it was always only the Ulster Unionist Party for Jim Molyneaux. He was a highly regarded leader of our party, and his legacy is the values that he represented and passed on.”
“When he set his mind to something that he believed was in the best interests of unionism and of Northern Ireland, he displayed a steely determination. He was enormously hard-working as a constituency Member and a very popular party leader and Member of Parliament. The Ulster Unionist Party will genuinely grieve at the passing of Lord Molyneaux. I know that my Assembly colleague, Sam Gardiner, was with him in recent hours. The entire party will receive the news of his passing with great sorrow. <BR /> <BR />Lord Molyneaux was for a period the sovereign grand master of the Royal Black Institution. To see him on parade at Scarva on 13 July offered an insight into him, as he conversed and engaged with the people who attended, and still attend, that huge demonstration. He was very much on their level and was very warmly received.”
“I join others in paying tribute to the life of James Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, and I am deeply saddened at his passing. I well recall the encouragement and advice he gave me in my early days as a young political representative serving in local government. He had a very distinguished war record. He served this nation in war and gave very strong and determined leadership in the most difficult period of our country's history. He was a loyal Ulsterman but also a man who knew how important it was for Northern Ireland to contribute to the life of our nation at Westminster and, indeed, the affairs of our Commonwealth. <BR /> <BR />He also had a very wry sense of humour and, as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, had a highly developed level of tolerance.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is it right that a Member should deliberately mislead the House by pretending that unionists have ever dominated Newry and Mourne District Council since 1973 and reorganisation, when, at the time, it represented five out of 30 of the membership?”
“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. I remind him of an important commandment from scripture:”
“— he does, and I fully support him in so doing.”
“Again, that is simply not true. Raymond McCreesh was only in a position to go on hunger strike because he was a dedicated and convicted terrorist. There is nothing to celebrate in that, and there is no courage in that. <BR /> <BR />I find it depressing that in Northern Ireland in 2015 it is necessary that my party colleague, Tom Elliott, should have to bring forward a private Member's Bill to deal with this. We should have moved forward much sooner on this for the sake of progress for our community, but because of the regressive attitudes of some —”
“That is not true. The other killers know, the people who helped them know and the people who covered for them know. Collins went on to write:”
“In spite of what the Member says, there is clear linkage through ballistics that link Raymond McCreesh to weaponry used in the Kingsmills massacre, and that is a fact. <BR /> <BR />Now, I read an article by a Mr Jude Collins, political commentator and blogger, on this issue, published online yesterday. On Kingsmills, Mr Collins wrote:”
“I appeal to them to think again and to find their conscience, because Northern Ireland cannot move forward when shared public space is named after those linked to or responsible for terrorist atrocities such as Kingsmills. I read an article by a Mr Jude Collins —”
“<BR /> <BR />Raymond McCreesh and the like will never be anything other than terrorists, no matter how many times the revisionists try to launder his reputation. Kingsmills and the other terrorist atrocities committed in my constituency over many years will never be anything other than acts of terrorism and genocide. Just as there is absolutely nothing to celebrate in those dreadful acts, there is nothing to celebrate about the people responsible for them. I appeal to those who support retaining the name "McCreesh Park" to think again, just as I have appealed to them over many years from when I opposed this naming in the council to my opposition to the naming in the Assembly today.”
“I accept that, in the context of Northern Ireland, many people would be uncomfortable with simple majority government in the Assembly at this time, and I accept that, in the context of Northern Ireland, many people want to see consensus-building at the centre of politics and decision-making, but I am not prepared to accept that the people who argue for power-sharing and consensus-building in this place are supporting and taking decisions in local councils that are divisive, work against community cohesion, run contrary to equality assessments and are calculated deliberately to insult the victims of terrorism. I am not prepared to accept their clear agenda of subjugation and domination of minority communities in councils that they control.”
“It is deeply offensive to me, it is deeply offensive to my community, and I believe that it is deeply offensive to the vast majority of people not just in Newry and Mourne but much further afield. <BR /> <BR />People use the expression "democracy" or "democratic" to elicit feelings of freedom and fairness in the same way as they use "majority rule" to elicit feelings of subjugation and domination. In many countries and jurisdictions, people rightly feel comfortable with both, and there is no doubt that that is our long-term objective as a regional Government and regional Assembly.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate, and I thank the sponsors for tabling it. The issue has been the subject of much debate and controversy not just today but for years. Let me take the opportunity to put the record straight, because some people are clearly trying to play political memory games. I was desperately depressed by Megan Fearon's grossly offensive and factually incorrect contribution in the Chamber this afternoon. I have consistently and vehemently opposed the naming of the play park after the convicted terrorist Raymond McCreesh since it was first proposed. I did so as a member of Newry and Mourne District Council, and I have continually and consistently voiced my opposition as a Member of this House. My reasons for that are straightforward and easily understood: it is just plain wrong.”
“I am grateful to the members and Chair of the Regional Development Committee for their positive support and the scrutiny that they have undertaken. I thank the Chair for that. I also indicate to Mr Lyttle that my officials have been in close consultation with council officials to resolve any outstanding issues. We confidently expect those to be resolved in time for the transfer to take legal effect. <BR /> <BR />I am glad that the House has agreed the transfer of Donaghadee harbour. I am somewhat sorry to see it go. It never had a navy. Nonetheless, I think that the council will be best placed to undertake its management in the future. I wish all the staff involved well and thank them for their contribution.”
“That will include all the functions, property rights, liabilities and obligations. The two members of staff who are employed at the harbour will also transfer to the council, and that will be achieved through the promotion of a transfer scheme. The order will also seek to wind up and dissolve the existing commission. I, therefore, recommend the Donaghadee Harbour (Transfer of Harbour Undertaking) Order to the House.”
“That might become a matter for resignation. I had better correct that.”
“<BR /> <BR />In summary, the order will transfer Donaghadee harbour from the commissioners to North Down and Ards District Council —”
“The transfer is linked to the review of public administration proposals and the reorganisation of councils and is, therefore, expected to happen in parallel with those changes from 1 April 2015. The order has been subject to public consultation in accordance with the Department's guidelines. My Department is grateful for the responses that have been received to the consultation and notes that there were no objections to the order. <BR /> <BR />I am also grateful for the consideration that has been given to the proposal by my Executive colleagues and the Regional Development Committee. The Examiner of Statutory Rules has also considered the order and did not make any formal comments in his ninth report of this session. That has allowed the order to be brought forward to the debate to seek affirmation.”
“The transfer would also address the practical difficulties and inefficiencies associated with operating a singleton harbour; for example, in arranging emergency cover and maximising the utilisation of the specialised harbour staff. It would also enable the anachronistic legislation associated with the harbour to be repealed. Sometimes words are easier written than said; I must speak again to my officials.”
“The harbour is managed by my Department, overseen by the Donaghadee Harbour Commissioners, who are civil servants from my Department. Two staff, a harbour master and an assistant, are employed directly at the harbour. My Department is not well placed to manage a harbour or to oversee it remotely from Clarence Court. The focus has been on keeping the harbour open and as safe as is practicable, with due regard being given to its special heritage qualities. <BR /> <BR />More recently, our policy has been to transfer Donaghadee harbour from its current status as a trust port to that of a municipal harbour owned and managed by the relevant local authority. There are firm practical grounds supporting this option. Local councils are already harbour authorities and, therefore, competent to undertake the associated management responsibilities.”
“I think that the Member will find that when things are being delivered to Lurgan, it will be the Ulster Unionist Party that will best deliver them.”
“Thank you very much indeed. I am not sure about Kennedy Way; that may have been done somewhere else. I view it as a debt of honour to people like the late Harold McCusker, Sam Gardiner MLA, who is party colleague of Jo-Anne Dobson MLA, and other local representatives who have consistently lobbied for this important scheme. I recently had the opportunity to travel in the Lurgan area, and I need no persuasion about the benefits that this scheme would bring to Lurgan.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his question. I am so sorry that other Members are not in their place for me to be able to respond to them. The Member will know that this is a scheme that has been on the go for a very long time. The planning permission for the scheme was granted on 24 March 2014. The notice of intention to make a vesting order for the scheme was published during the weeks ending 7 November and 14 November, with the closure date for receipt of objections being 16 December 2014. Two objections were received, and Transport NI officials met both objectors in January to discuss the content of the objections. Follow-up letters, summarising the content of the meetings, were sent to each objector. Each letter included a request from them to confirm whether they intended to withdraw their objections.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question, and I will endeavour to ensure that he is in early receipt of the necessary details. Hopefully, progress can be made.”
“I am grateful to the Member. I well remember the visit. My officials sent a preliminary design drawing detailing a proposed alternative traffic calming scheme along Twaddell Avenue to you in October 2014. The Member is shaking his head to indicate that he has not received that. An accompanying letter also detailed the advantages and disadvantages of the proposals and asked that you would undertake to discuss this with the local residents' association and any other interested parties in the locality and provide a response. To date, my officials have no record of receiving a response, either from you or further representations, so I will be interested in your supplementary.”
“I never doubted that the Member would use public transport for his other journeys. I encourage him to do so increasingly. Let me say to him that, if further measures have to be considered, we will take the advice of other Departments or agencies. Whether or not it would be necessary to include Europe at that stage, we will certainly be mindful, I think, of any potential proceedings that could be taken that we would be open to or liable for. I think that it will be sensible to collaborate with other agencies and Departments as necessary.”
“The environmental statement is still appropriate and relevant, and it clearly deals with any discovery of potentially contaminated land and outlines appropriate actions that should be taken. The land being vested at that location, which forms part of the illegal landfill site, is still required for flood compensation measures. Additional environmental assessments have been undertaken by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and that information has been used to inform potential solutions to the contamination that may be required should remediation still be necessary. <BR /> <BR />Should the contamination issue remain unresolved when the road is being built, I am content that cost-effective measures can be deployed to remedy the undesirable effects of the buried waste.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his interest, which clearly extends beyond north Down to Dungiven and other parts. <BR /> <BR />I can update him as follows: I have not yet confirmed any of the statutory orders for the Londonderry to Dungiven dual carriageway. If, in due course, I confirm the direction or order to complete planning for the scheme, the vesting order will continue to remain in draft form until funding has been confirmed. The draft vesting order, as presented at the public inquiry into the scheme, has not been amended at Mobuoy. It has not been necessary for my Department to undertake any additional assessment work at Mobuoy, as the environmental considerations into the chosen road alignment took into account existing conditions known at the time.”
“I am not in a position to specify a timeline, because working with other Departments has to be taken into consideration. The Member will know that work is being undertaken close to the area involved at Craigantlet. My Department is implementing a collision remedial scheme for the existing road layout. That will comprise high-friction surfacing and additional signs. The new surfacing has already been laid, and the signs should be erected within the next four weeks, but that work has not been undertaken to delay or detract from the main scheme in any way.”
“I thank the Member for his question and for his interest in the scheme. As the Member will be aware, my Department proposes to implement a scheme to improve the road infrastructure at Craigantlet. Three options put forward for public consultation early last year generated much discussion on which should be taken forward. Having considered all the relevant information available, we decided on a single roundabout with a new link road as the preferred option. However, that scheme could have an impact on the local environment, and I can therefore confirm that my officials are continuing to discuss it, and in particular the potential impact on the local environment, with colleagues from the Department of the Environment and Planning NI. Once that process has been concluded, an announcement will be made on the most appropriate way forward.”
“I am grateful to the Member. I am sorry that it is not possible to nominate anyone for an Oscar so soon after the event. The Member well knows that I have expressed my displeasure to Translink at the sequence of events that led to this. However, we are moving forward on the scheme, not least through the actions that I have taken. I have made it clear that there will be no hiding place for anyone as far as learning lessons is concerned. I am particularly interested in moving forward to see the project successfully completed. That is the task that I have set myself, and I believe that that is what people in the area and in the north-west region want. We can do the redding up later.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I outlined in answer to a question from Mr Elliott, we continue to make progress on the contract and the project, and I very much hope that that will continue so that we can successfully bring the project to a conclusion that will satisfy everyone.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his question. Of course, when he was Chair of the Regional Development Committee, he had much more hands-on involvement with the issue. He may know that I have had discussions with the Regional Development Committee. Yes, there was a setback, in that the original estimate was clearly incorrect. That has been addressed. I took steps to instigate what is called a power review, and we have accepted its recommendations. The work of the power committee, which was independent completely of Translink and the Department, has sought to make changes to future contracts. We are very clear that there are lessons to be learned, and I am content that progress is being made. Lessons have also been learned in the Department and Translink, and I am considering the outcome of those reports.”
“I had been able to maintain a freeze on fares since mid-2013, but, in the light of the current budgetary situation and the cuts in the Translink budget this year and next year, a fare increase was required, but I very much hope that the current growth can continue.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his supplementary question. Although fare increases are unwelcome at any stage, I assure the Member that they have been kept to a minimum. It remains the case that Translink fares compare favourably with those in the rest of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Since 2011, fare increases in GB have been more than two to three times higher than those in Northern Ireland. Fare increases here have been about half the rate of inflation during my term as Minister. In that time, passengers have seen a cut in fares in real terms. That has benefited passengers and helped to ensure that passenger numbers increased to over 80 million last year.”