Nichola Mallon
North Belfast · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I have had the very moving opportunity to meet families who have tragically lost a loved one on that stretch of road. That was an important opportunity for me to hear at first hand their experience and the experiences of the local community as they try to go about their everyday business while living in close proximity to a key transport…”
“I take safety on our rural roads very seriously. My Department continues to be actively committed to improving safety on our roads and to work closely with our road safety partners to deliver a programme of road safety education, engineering and enforcement activities.”
“I thank Mr Muir and all the members of the Infrastructure Committee for very constructive working relationships. At times, those working relationships were tense, but they were always very constructive — I mean that.”
“It was important to me to take forward the motor insurance legislation to try to protect people against a hike of up to £50 in their motor insurance premiums. Members will be aware that I took the decision to freeze any hike in public transport fares.”
“That commenced a consultation process that is open until 6 May. I encourage anyone with an interest in this significant project to make their views known during the consultation period. <BR /> <BR />In advance of the major upgrade, it is important that we do what we can to improve road safety.”
“I have announced my intention to extend the concessionary fares scheme to provide free travel for people with disabilities who currently pay half fare and to new operators who have already indicated or expressed an interest in joining. I am aware that many people with a disability have limited travel options.”
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“I thank the Member for his question. Funding has been provided for the part purchase of the low- and zero-emission buses, which was part of New Decade, New Approach. As the Member will know, a number of critical infrastructure projects are at the heart of New Decade, New Approach. No funding has been provided for any of those projects, despite multiple representations from me, as Minister for Infrastructure, and despite the multiple promises that continue to be made but that continue to fail to be honoured.”
“The Member raises a very important point. We have all heard the British Government's promises about turbocharging infrastructure, but, unfortunately, the slogans and sound bites have not been backed up by action. The Member will know that that is a source of huge frustration for me and that I have written to, spoken to and met the British Government on a number of occasions to press for that long-promised support for the people of Northern Ireland. It is long past the time that the British Government lived up to their commitments in New Decade, New Approach. In fact, it is long past the time that all of us, as parties that signed up to that agreement, honoured the commitments that we made in that agreement and, importantly, made to the people of Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for his kind words and feedback on officials. I know that those words will mean a lot, because they have been working in a highly pressurised environment. <BR /> <BR />My Department is not directly responsible for air connectivity, but I remain committed to working alongside my Executive colleagues the Finance and Economy Ministers, given our different responsibilities for airports, and to consider cases for support from the Executive for the aviation sector. I have no doubt that we will have a discussion on the matter that the Member has raised.”
“It is my intention, in the coming months, to engage with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity in Scotland to discuss issues of mutual interest. My officials are in contact with their counterparts in Transport Scotland and have noted the recent report, 'South West Scotland Transport Study — Initial Appraisal: Case for Change', which has identified the need for improvements on the A75 and A77. My officials will continue to work with their colleagues in Scotland as we transform and improve our infrastructure for everyone.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He will have to put questions about the progress of the UK connectivity review to Sir Peter Hendy, who chairs it. The question is, "Why has more progress not been made, and why has there not been greater engagement with and respect for Ministers of devolved authorities across these islands?". Of course I will continue to engage, as I always do, across the islands. I believe that our challenges are best overcome when we engage. <BR /> <BR />In respect of the A75, I recognise the importance to the local economy of our strategic links with Great Britain, and, as Minister for Infrastructure, part of my role is to provide support for our local businesses through the infrastructure priorities that I set in Northern Ireland and linkages beyond.”
“We have a shared ambition for rail and a commitment to tackling the climate emergency, and I am keen that we use this opportunity to consider how we can improve our rail network across the island of Ireland. The review will examine how we can connect the rail network to our international gateways, through our ports and airports, which will help to improve connectivity across these islands. <BR /> <BR />In the past two years, my Department has also provided support to our seaports and airports to ensure that connectivity was maintained during the pandemic and post Brexit.”
“I continue to engage with the Union connectivity review, which is aimed at improving transport links across these islands. I understand that Sir Peter Hendy, the chair of the review, plans to publish the final recommendations before the end of the summer, and I look forward to further engagement before that occurs. <BR /> <BR />I regularly attend DfT meetings with my counterparts in the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales, and we look at ways to improve transport links across these islands. <BR /> <BR />In addition to that, I work with my counterpart in the South, Minister Ryan, on the all-island strategic rail review, which will allow us to consider our network across this island to view how we can improve it for everyone.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I do not shy away from the Department's responsibilities in this area. A number of my officials across Northern Ireland not only attend multi-agency meetings but attend meetings organised by local representatives of all political parties and meetings with community representatives. <BR /> <BR />The challenges that our communities face in today's society come from a number of strands. Ms Bradshaw talked about drug taking, for example, which is a PSNI issue. Dumping is a council issue, and other issues fall to my Department. We address those problems best when we work together. I am keen that my officials play their part in doing that.”
“I thank the Member for her question. As she rightly points out, alley-gating schemes come through the councils. I think that there is a role for the policing and community safety partnerships (PCSPs) and perhaps the Department of Justice. I am keen to come in to see where the greening of alleyways programme can assist with that. <BR /> <BR />A number of issues affect residents of the Holylands. The Minister for Communities has set up an Executive subgroup to deal with some of the issues in the Holylands. I am pleased to say that I am part of that subgroup, and it is due to meet very shortly.”
“I am mindful that the one in south Belfast was created in response to burglaries in the area. They also tackle social isolation. They brought communities together and built social cohesion. <BR /> <BR />As I said, I have set up the fund. My officials are working with a number of councils to help them to shape their proposals, and I expect to receive applications for funding in the near future. I encourage communities that want to be involved in this type of project to contact their councils, in the first instance, so that we can work together to deliver this.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I became aware of the greening of alleyways pilot project in North Belfast through the work of the Ardoyne Association, which transformed a number of entries in Ardoyne — concrete, horrible spaces where people did not feel safe — into green oases. When I took up the post as Minister, I had the pleasure of meeting residents in Rossmore in south Belfast, and, again, I saw what communities did when they came together to transform their alleyways. That is why, as Minister for Infrastructure, I was very keen to try to support their efforts. <BR /> <BR />Green alleyways deliver multiple benefits. They transform a space. They create green spaces, and many inner-city neighbourhoods in particular do not have green spaces. They also improve community safety.”
“I encourage MLAs to ask their residents and their communities who are keen to have a greening of alleyways programme to contact their local council so that we may able to work together, in partnership, to transform these places.”
“I thank the Member for his question, and I am aware that this is an issue in North Belfast. Very recently, in my capacity, I took a walk with residents from the Waterworks, and this was a particular issue that we discussed. I am very mindful of the impact in North Belfast and right across the North. <BR /> <BR />The difficulty to date, which has not been resolved by any of my predecessors, has been the fact that the Department does not currently have responsibility for unadopted alleyways and therefore does not have officers recording this information. I am very keen to try to provide some solution in the here and now, which is why we have created the greening of alleyways programme.”
“That funding, which is the first of its kind to come from my Department, can be used for unadopted and adopted alleyways.”
“I recognise that there are many unadopted alleyways in North Belfast and, indeed, across other areas. However, given the ongoing budget constraints facing my Department, the main focus is on inspecting and maintaining the public road network that is adopted. I fully appreciate that antisocial behaviour occurs in some privately owned alleyways, which causes significant problems for the residents and businesses that live and work next to them. <BR /> <BR />Although my Department has no plans, given the resource constraints, to assume maintenance responsibility for alleyways that do not contribute to the transport network, I have offered capital funding to councils to support local communities in taking greater ownership of their alleyways through a greening of alleyways programme.”
“I thank the Member for his question. My DVA officials will attend the Committee this week, I think, so they will be able to go into the detail on that issue with him and other Committee members. It is difficult to estimate the volume precisely because we do not know when those who pass their theory test will go for the practical driving test. However, I assure the Member that, through the recruitment of additional examiners, the additional test centres, an overtime rota and Saturday and Sunday opening, we are doing everything we can to maximise our capacity to minimise the disruption to our customers. Of course, it is a public-facing service, and, as with all public-facing services as we emerge from the pandemic, there will be a longer waiting time than there was pre-COVID.”
“I thank the Member for his question. We opened the driving test facilities to taxi drivers as well, so the test is available to new taxi drivers. I have been made aware of a decline over many years in the number of taxi drivers working in the industry, and I have no doubt that that has been compounded by COVID. I am also of the view that many taxi drivers will not pay for their licences until they are clear on the easement of restrictions and how that will impact on them. <BR /> <BR />Very recently, my officials met representatives of the taxi industry to hear their concerns, and I am committed to working in partnership with them. I was pleased to provide regulatory and financial support to taxi drivers during the pandemic, and, of course, we will continue to work with the industry as we reopen our economy.”
“The DVA has identified four additional departmental buildings in Belfast, Coleraine, Cookstown and Omagh that can be used as temporary driving test centres if they are needed in their area and there is sufficient driving examiner capacity. Arrangements are being finalised, and the DVA anticipates that the temporary test centres at Cookstown and Omagh will open for appointments later this month.”
“I encourage customers to continue to check availability, because additional slots are becoming available. To reassure the Member, I will say that, since we opened up the driving test facility to all customers, we have conducted over 6,000-odd tests, which is 35% up on our pre-COVID monthly average. To reassure you further, I will say that we are taking all the steps that we can, but please encourage your constituents to continue to check availability online, because slots will continue to become available.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I appreciate the frustration among learner drivers, particularly younger learner drivers. That is why I took steps early on to extend the validity of the theory test pass certificate. As I outlined, we have put in measures to increase capacity through the recruitment of additional examiners, overtime, Saturday and Sunday slots and the provision of additional test centres.”
“However, all driving test services across these islands are experiencing high demand with longer than usual waiting times, and we ask customers for their continued patience.”
“While there is limited availability between now and the end of August, additional slots will become available as new driving examiners continue to be appointed over the coming months, when tests are cancelled and as more centres are able to offer tests on a Sunday. Due to the constantly changing position and the regular addition of new slots, the advice to customers is to keep checking the booking system for availability. If slots are not initially available at a customer's preferred test centre, they may wish to consider booking a test at another centre. <BR /> <BR />I remain committed to minimising disruption and ensuring that the DVA's plan for the restoration of services is in hand.”
“<BR /> <BR />The DVA has taken a range of measures to maximise the availability of test slots, including the recruitment of additional examiners and the planned provision of new temporary test centres. Temporary test centres at Cookstown and Omagh are expected to open for appointments later this month. The DVA continues to offer driving tests on Saturdays and, at certain centres, on Sundays, where it is suitable to do so without compromising the integrity of the test. Overtime will be used to rota off-shift dual-role driving examiners to provide further capacity. <BR /> <BR />The waiting time to get a test date will vary depending on the chosen centre.”
“The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) driving test booking service opened for all customers on 10 May and provides everyone with a valid theory test pass certificate with equal opportunity to book a driving test, regardless of their test history or previous priorities. The DVA has made additional test slots available between now and the end of August, and bookings for September and October have been released to accommodate more learners. From the reopening of services in late April up to 31 May, the DVA conducted 6,700 driving tests, of which 5,500 were category B private car driving tests. That is 35% above the normal monthly average. As of 1 June, there were approximately 13,500 category B tests booked in the system, with around 2,000 slots remaining available across the network of test centres.”
“At the same time, as I have said, while that work takes place at pace, it is a priority for me that we do absolutely everything we can to ensure that critical resurfacing work takes place on the roads that need it in the affected areas.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He references the scandal that was RHI. I reassure the Member and all Members that I take my role as Minister for Infrastructure extremely seriously. I am there to represent the people of Northern Ireland, and I will not shy away from going to the difficult places. That is why I have asked for an independent investigation. I want to be reassured around those matters, and I want Members to be reassured about them.”
“I thank the Member for his question. With respect to the issue of staff, I am clear that I am so concerned by the situation that I am instigating an external investigation. It would not be appropriate for me to pre-empt or pre-conclude what the findings of that investigation might be. <BR /> <BR />I reassure the Member that I have asked officials exactly that question about pending challenges. I am waiting for information so that, if it is the case that there may be further pending challenges that will affect the Department and the delivery of its services, I have a clear understanding of what they may be.”
“I have set out the timeline for that, but I am also reassuring Members that I have said to officials that we need to do everything possible to ensure that we get resurfacing work on the ground at the earliest opportunity. That is why we plan to progress one-off contracts and bundles of contracts at pace: to get that much-needed work on the ground this year.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I appreciate that this is an issue of utmost concern to Members, who want to see this critical service delivered in their areas. I share in the ambition to improve the surface of our roads. That is why I made a significant bid and a significant allocation in my capital budget. I wanted to translate that commitment into action. It is hugely frustrating to find myself in this situation, but, as I have said, I am trying to understand, through an external investigation, what happened and the actions that were taken subsequently. <BR /> <BR />Officials are working at pace to devise an interim procurement strategy.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He is right to point out the historical element, first, around the state of our roads, which is a result of historical underinvestment. The Member is aware of the Barton report and the fact that it objectively identified the requirement of an investment of £143 million per annum to maintain the current road network. As the Member rightly identifies, the Northstone judgement applies to the 2015 contract award process. Obviously, the judgement is there for all to see. The Member has highlighted a number of issues for which I have asked officials for timelines. This is also part of the rationale for my asking for the external investigation.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I reassure Members that surface dressing, patching and maintaining gullies — small-scale intervention work — will continue to be carried out in the affected areas. While the Department's officials are working at pace to find an interim solution to the procurement contract, the clear focus for me is making sure that officials do what they can to get resurfacing work done on the ground in affected areas at the earliest opportunity. That is why we are looking to plan one-off contracts and smaller bundles of contracts. All those issues are being explored so that we can get those contracts out this year and get that critical service delivered on the ground this year.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As soon as I took up post as Minister for Infrastructure, the situation with the DVA lifts arose and I became aware of it. In my response to that, I initiated two independent reviews. One was to establish exactly what happened, who knew what and who was responsible. The second piece of work was to ensure that we had clearly identified all the actions that should be taken to prevent that happening again. Of course I am concerned about any situation where there is not a record of meetings held. I have no doubt that that will feature as one of the issues examined as part of the independent investigation.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I have said, I am very concerned by the judgement and the salient facts that have been outlined. That is why I am initiating an independent investigation. It would not be appropriate for me to pre-empt the outcome of that investigation at this stage.”
“That is why, as a mitigation of any delay in the interim procurement strategy for asphalt resurfacing, it is planned to progress one-off contracts and bundles of contracts at pace for release and award this year.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I have said, I want to reassure Members. I am adamant that my Department will take all possible steps to find new approaches that will allow us to move forward as quickly as possible and get resurfacing work on the ground in Mr McNulty's constituency and other affected constituencies. Officials are working at pace to devise an interim procurement strategy for asphalt resurfacing. As I have said, it is planned to have pre-market engagement during the summer to bring the first contracts to market in the autumn. In the meantime, I want to make sure that we do what we can to get resurfacing works on the ground.”
“I thank the Member for her question. She has highlighted an aspect of the judgement. I have taken the decision not to appeal that judgement. The reassurances that I seek as a Minister provide a rationale for initiating the independent investigation. I want to be satisfied that I understand what happened in this instance, what action was taken by officials at the time and, importantly, as I have said in response to other Members' questions, what subsequent action was taken to adopt learning and correct problems from the first moment that they were highlighted. While the terms of reference have yet to be finalised for the independent investigation, it is important that I, as the Minister for Infrastructure, have full understanding and reassurance but also that Members across the House and the public are reassured.”
“I assure Members that roads will continue to be inspected and repairs carried out in line with policy in all of the affected areas. While the current timeline for the interim procurement strategy for asphalt resurfacing is expected to commence early in 2022, as I have said, I have asked officials to work simultaneously on delivering one-off contracts and bundles of contracts to try to get the resurfacing works carried out in the affected areas as quickly as possible. The time frame for that is later this year.”
“As the Member has correctly identified, Mid Ulster is one of the four affected areas. I assure the Member that surface dressing, patching and gullies work will continue. However, as I said, I am looking at moving forward a larger number of tender opportunities, so that we have a continuous pipeline of tenders. The focus is that, while we work on the new procurement strategy, we are able to initiate smaller contracts as quickly as possible, so that we can get the work on the ground in Mid Ulster at the earliest opportunity.”
“<BR /> <BR />I assure Members about the approaches that we are taking. As I said, officials are working at pace to devise an interim procurement strategy for the asphalt resurfacing. For Members' information, the planned timeline is to undertake pre-market engagement during the summer and to bring the first contracts to market in the autumn, with contracts to commence in early 2022. I am not at all content with the situation, but I want to make sure that, while that process takes its course, we do everything that we can to ensure that we can resurface our roads. In addition to that procurement work, the Department plans to progress at pace one-off contracts and bundles of contracts for release and award later this year so that we can get roads in the affected areas resurfaced as quickly as possible.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I have said that, after careful consideration of the judgement and detailed consideration of advices and the information provided by officials, I am clear that there needs to be an external investigation. <BR /> <BR />In respect of the impact of this on the budget, my approach is, I suppose, threefold. The first is accepting the judgement and then, through an external investigation, understanding what happened and what action was taken then and since to address the problems as soon as they were highlighted. The second piece of work will be on revised procurement processes to mitigate the risk of further legal challenges. The third piece of work, which is key for me, will be to ensure that we work as quickly as possible to deliver the capital investment for the resurfacing that is required on our roads.”
“The legal advice obtained by the Department considered the Department to have a reasonable prospect of success and that the judgement on appeal might assist the Department in its understanding of what was expected in future competitions.”
“I thank the Member for his questions. The issue was not in my first-day brief. I assure the Member that, as soon as it was brought to my attention, I gave it careful consideration. I read at length and repeatedly all the information and advices that were available. That is why I came to the House today to announce the course of action that we will take. <BR /> <BR />I assure the House that the Department carefully considered the initial decision to appeal the original Northstone judgement and gave considerable thought to how the application of the decision would affect the future conduct of public business.”
“The two court judgments provide significant detail on the complexities of the case. As I said, I want to investigate further so that lessons, including for future procurements, can be learned. I intend to seek further information from an independent investigation of the actions taken by the Department at that time and since. I will discuss the approach further with my officials and legal advisers because I am very keen that we get the independent investigation under way.”
“I am sorry; it was about costs. At this stage, the damages are still to be determined by the court. The advice from my officials is that that may take some time to complete.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I can assure him that, in the same way as I deal with all matters, I will deal with this in an open and transparent manner. That is why I have come to the Assembly in person. As I said, the judgments have caused me very serious concern, and I want to be absolutely satisfied that all the corrective actions that should have been taken were taken at the earliest opportunity, as soon as the problems were identified. As I said to Mr Buckley, I will, of course, keep the House and the Committee fully updated on that. <BR /> <BR />Will you repeat the second question?”
“<BR /> <BR />Similar to my approach to the issues that arose with the lifts in the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), my intention is to keep the Committee and the House fully updated on issues as the situation progresses. That is why I was very keen to come to the Assembly in person to update Members on the issue and give that reassurance. <BR /> <BR />On the budgetary implications, officials are still working through the ramifications. My intention is that they will work at pace on a new interim procurement strategy. At the same time, we will have an approach that enables us to issue smaller contracts so that we can get critical resurfacing work done in the affected areas as quickly as possible.”
“First, I congratulate Mr Buckley on his appointment as Chairperson of the Infrastructure Committee. I look forward to working with him. <BR /> <BR />As I said, I am consulting officials and our legal advisers on how best to carry out an independent investigation. For me, it is very important to understand what action was taken by officials at the time and since. It is important that we have a focus on learning to ensure that this situation is never allowed to happen again. I have not yet defined the terms of reference for the investigation. I have asked for options to come forward. As soon as I have the terms of reference, I will have more clarity on the timeline.”
“<BR /> <BR />I assure Members that my Department will continue to take all possible steps, working collaboratively with other procurement experts and with our legal advisers, to find new approaches that allow us to move forward as quickly as possible and to award contracts that can allow much-needed resurfacing work to take place.”
“<BR /> <BR />There are limits to what more I can say about our resurfacing contracts given that they are subject to ongoing legal proceedings, but I felt that it was important to come to the House in person to provide this update, given the importance of these issues to me, all Members and the people whom we represent. I reassure Members that taking forward those pieces of work and fixing the problem is a priority for me. I will ensure that Members are kept updated. The situation brings into sharp and stark focus not only the complexity of the landscape in which public procurement takes place but the everyday impact on ordinary people living their lives when public contracts are delayed. That impact is unacceptable.”
“I am pleased to inform the Assembly that a review by the Civil Service's professional auditors, which was completed just last month, provided assurance that the centre of procurement expertise has in place established appropriate structures, robust management information systems and adequate policies, procedures and strategies, and that operational tendering, contract management and monitoring arrangements are appropriate to control procurement activity. Although an overall assurance has been provided for the COPE as a whole, there are, as I have set out, lessons to be learned, and I am determined that they will be learned.”