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 remain committed to a rural roads fund, but the consideration that I have now is the amount of money that I will allocate to it. My intention is that, certainly, there will not be any reduction in the rural roads fund in the new financial year.”
“I recognise the importance of trying to address regional imbalances across the North, but I also recognise the state of some of our rural roads and the impact that that has on local communities and businesses. Although I have yet to finalise my budget for the new financial year, I appreciate the importance of rural roads and the need for significant improvements to them.”
“I thank the Member for his question. On the issue of vacancies, at the end of March 2021, the Department had 2,991 staff in post and 418 vacancies. It is important to point out that, of those vacancies, 86 were industrial posts and 332 were non-industrial, so they were administrative and part-time grades. We are working hard to ensure that we can fill affordable vacancies as quickly as possible. On the issue of structural maintenance, the Member will be aware that I set up a rural roads fund in the previous financial year and allocated £10 million to it.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I said, they are matters that are dealt with by management, as opposed to the ministerial side. Of course, as Minister, I very much care for the health and well-being of my Department's staff. I am not aware of any research that has taken place, but that does not mean that it has not been done. I am happy to take the issue away, discuss it with my officials and provide the Member with an update.”
“The Department for Infrastructure departmental board regularly monitors the number of temporary promotions across the Department. My officials are also working with the Civil Service Human Resources to do what is required to fill all affordable vacancies as quickly as possible.”
“Day-to-day staffing issues, such as temporary promotions, are the responsibility of management, not Ministers. However, I am aware that temporary promotions are routinely used across the Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments as cover for vacant posts, where there is a clear business need and no immediate alternative available. Temporary promotions are, as the name suggests, temporary arrangements that are intended to be in place only until a permanent appointment can be made. <BR /> <BR />At the end of February, my Department had 159 temporary promotions in place from a workforce of 2,973 staff. That represents 5% of the workforce and is below the Northern Ireland Civil Service average of 9%. Indeed, my Department has the lowest percentage of temporary promotions in place across the Northern Ireland Civil Service.”
“That is why I remain committed to the project and to the further roll-out of the 20 mph speed limit across many more schools in this new financial year.”
“I thank the Member for her question. My Department has received an increase in capital funds from the 2020-21 opening capital budget. The resource budget, as always for my Department, is challenging, and that will have an impact as we seek to deliver on the range of capital projects in the Department. As I said, we have had budget allocations across from the Department of Finance. I am now working with my officials on the details of that to make the specific allocations in my Department. I assure Members that, as I have said since taking up the post, road safety is a priority for me. I am very aware of the great enthusiasm across the House and in communities to ensure that we do much more on school safety.”
“I thank the Member for her question. We had to limit the number of schools in the financial year just past, owing to the practicalities of delivery. I was keen, when we set out my ambition around the scheme, that we were able to deliver on it. That is why we thought carefully about the 100 schools. I am committed to continuing the roll-out. We have a departmental assessment framework that I have shared with a number of Members who have corresponded with me on the matter. The fact that we now have the limit present at 103 schools means that there will be many more schools that will be considered for it, including schools in the Member's constituency. I am happy to keep her updated. I have no doubt that she will continue to write to me on the matter as well.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I am happy to give that feedback to my officials for their consideration of the second tranche of funding.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I have received a number of items of correspondence from the principal, the chair of the board of governors and other elected representatives in respect of that school, so I certainly understand the frustrations. I am advised by my officials that the principal has, for some time — a number of years, in fact — been in correspondence with the Department. I have offered to meet the principal of Grey Abbey Primary School as soon as I can get clarity on the second tranche. I want to do what we can to extend road safety and improve the safety of all our children. That includes the pupils who go to and from Grey Abbey Primary School daily.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He has made representations on the issue, so I realise its importance to him. To be fair and objective, the Department operated from an assessment framework that is long established. While it was not possible to extend the scheme to schools in the Member's constituency, I am committed to rolling it out further, and, as I have indicated in correspondence with the Member, all the schools will be considered for inclusion in that programme. As soon as I am in a position to confirm the details, I will ensure that the Member is made fully aware.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The budget that I allocated for the roll-out of the first tranche was £2 million. While I have yet to make final decisions on the allocation of this year's budget, I am committed to the roll-out of the scheme because I believe that many more schools should be included in the 20 mph programme. That is my intention. I hope to finalise budgetary details in the very near future.”
“No, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will offer that answer as the composite answer for both questions, and I am happy to answer the supplementary questions.”
“Yes, I am happy to offer my answer as a grouped answer, with your agreement, Mr Deputy Speaker.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I was advised that question 4 had been withdrawn by the Business Office.”
“Unfortunately, on the basis of the assessment scores, Grey Abbey Primary School was not ranked as highly as the schools that were included. However, I intend to take forward a further tranche of part-time 20 mph speed limits at schools and can assure the Member that Grey Abbey Primary School will be considered for inclusion in the programme. Programmes across all council areas are being developed. Therefore, I am not in a position at this time to identify what schools in the north Down area might be included.”
“I was pleased to be able to commit funding towards the first tranche of part-time 20 mph speed limits at 103 schools across Northern Ireland. Those measures will increase driver awareness aimed at reducing vehicle speeds outside and near those schools to provide a safer environment for parents, children and staff as they go to and from school on a daily basis. Six schools in the Ards and North Down Borough Council area were included in the first tranche of the part-time 20 mph speed limits at schools programme, which is currently being rolled out and is due for completion in June. <BR /> <BR />Given the restricted budgets for works of this nature, as well as the practicalities of delivery, it was necessary to limit the number of schools in the programme to about 100.”
“<BR /> <BR />In concluding, I reassure Members across the House that, for as long as I am the Minister for Infrastructure, I will do all that I can to see this long-overdue project realised for local communities, local businesses and all representatives who live in the constituency.”
“Further, the A5 is one overall project, and the Department considers that its stated aims and objectives will not be fully realised until the completion and linking-up of all of its phases. Mr Beggs also raised the issue of funding. The Irish Government have reiterated their commitment to the A5. He will also be aware of the Shared Island Fund. I will continue to engage with all partners, North/South and east-west — it is a strategically important corridor for Northern Ireland — to ensure that we get delivery in the earliest possible time frame. <BR /> <BR />Members referenced the frustrations around legal challenges. I, of course, uphold people's right to challenge, but there is an onus on us as an Executive to have a look at the judicial review process and, as Mr Muir said, at how the impact of it compares with that in other places.”
“<BR /> <BR />This is an issue of huge frustration locally, and I understand that. However, I take heart from the unity of purpose — I think that Mr McCrossan referred to it — that has been shown across the House. Mr Beggs raised some questions about my commitment to phase 3. My response to him is that the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government are committed to upgrading the A5 in full. My Department considers that it continues to be appropriate to implement that commitment, including the delivery of phase 3 of the scheme. There are many benefits to implementing phase 3, such as the continuity of route to meet the border and providing a high-quality link to the adjoining proposed improvements to the N2 in the Republic of Ireland.”
“Mr Buchanan indicated a concern that a second round of consultations may be required the year after: I assure him that that is not the case. It is anticipated that the public inquiry can be reconvened in early 2022, and it is hoped that the PAC will then be in a position to provide the Department with its final report later in the year. That should allow a new decision by a Minister later in 2022, and, subject to the successful completion of all of the necessary statutory processes and environmental assessments, as I have outlined, the construction of phase 1A, from New Buildings to north of Strabane, could commence during 2023. In recent years, the programme for scheme delivery has alluded to full scheme completion by 2028: although some slippage has occurred, that time frame remains achievable.”
“I assure Members that I gave careful consideration to all of the advice given, including legal advice, and decided, on a balance of risk against time, to comply with the key recommendations of the PAC and move towards a reconvened public inquiry in the shortest timescale possible. <BR /> <BR />Members have rightly expressed frustration at how long it has taken us to get to this point. My job as Minister is to do everything that I can to ensure that we develop the project and get it to the point of construction at the earliest opportunity. I assure Members that my officials have been working and will continue to work at pace towards the publication of a new environmental statement addendum later this year, followed by a mandatory six-week consultation period.”
“It contained two recommendations on the need for further assessments of the flood risk and scheme alternatives. The PAC recommended that those assessments be incorporated into a further addendum to the environmental statement and made available for further public consultation. The PAC has therefore adjourned the inquiry, indicating that it can be reconvened when the Department has taken those steps. <BR /> <BR />Since September, officials have carefully considered all of the recommendations made by the commissioner and taken legal advice. A number of potential options for taking the scheme forward were developed and presented to me.”
“By necessity, that information continued to relate to the base data contained in the original environmental statement of 2016. It is important to note — Members raised this point — that, with the passage of time, new and updated environmental standards are being continuously introduced through legislation and other technical guidance. That presents a risk of challenge on the grounds that base data can be perceived as being out of date. With 264 representations made to the 2019 consultation exercise, departmental officials concluded that a further public inquiry was necessary. That third inquiry took place over seven days during February and March 2020. <BR /> <BR />In September of last year, my Department received an interim report from the PAC on its findings from the inquiry — not a final report, as would be normal procedure.”
“It was concluded that it was not therefore in the public interest to continue defending the legal challenge, and the decision to proceed with the scheme was consequently quashed, taking effect from 16 November 2018. Essentially, the quashing of that decision took the scheme back to the February 2016 position, effectively knocking it back three years. <BR /> <BR />Since November 2018, the Department has been carrying out work to enable a new decision by a Minister. It is a requirement when assessing environmental impacts for decisions to be based on up-to-date environmental information. With that in mind, updated environmental information in the form of an environmental statement addendum was published for consultation in March 2019.”
“That decision, if unchallenged, would have represented the completion of the statutory procedures and allowed the project to move to the construction phase. However, the Alternative A5 Alliance again legally challenged the decision in December 2017. Ten grounds of challenge were listed, including the power of the permanent secretary to make the decision in the absence of a Minister. Following careful consideration of the relevant High Court decisions made during 2018 in Buick, as well as the provisions of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018, legal advice provided to departmental officials indicated a high likelihood that the permanent secretary's decision would be quashed.”
“Lessons were learned from that ruling, and further development work to address the deficiency followed, leading to the publication of and consultation on a new environmental statement and draft statutory orders in February 2016. With almost 1,000 representations made, a public inquiry was deemed necessary, and that second inquiry took place in the latter half of 2016. <BR /> <BR />The PAC report from that inquiry, which was received by the Department in May 2017, concluded that the scheme should proceed. That was a hugely significant step forward for everyone committed to and in full support of the scheme. In the absence of Ministers, a formal decision to proceed with the scheme was made in November 2017 by the then permanent secretary of the Department.”
“As a project to deliver 85 km of new dual carriageway between New Buildings and the border at Aughnacloy, it is a significant and ambitious project by any standards and the biggest road project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Following the first public inquiry in 2011, the statutory orders to allow the A5 to proceed were made in 2012, but those were subsequently challenged by the Alternative A5 Alliance, a group that has opposed the scheme from the outset. That challenge led to the quashing of the statutory orders in April 2013, as it was judged that the Department had not fully met its obligations under the habitats regulations. That was unprecedented and set a new compliance benchmark in the development of all major infrastructure schemes from that point on.”
“I have met families who have lost loved ones along that stretch of road, and road safety is a key driver in ensuring that we see delivery. <BR /> <BR />I very much share the frustrations of people west of the Bann and those expressed by Members today at the time that it is taking to get this transformative scheme through the statutory processes. However, my Department and I must follow due process and apply due diligence. <BR /> <BR />As all Members have highlighted, it is a long-standing project. As Mr Buchanan said, it can be charted back 14 years, if not further. It is an Executive flagship project, with its origins in the St Andrews Agreement, and it was agreed through the North/South Ministerial Council in 2007.”
“First, I thank Mr McAleer for instigating this important debate on the progress on the A5 dual carriageway. I listened with interest to the comments of Members and the issues that they raised, and it is clear that the delivery of the A5 project is of huge importance to them, as it is for me, as the Minister for Infrastructure. I wanted to come to the House today to reiterate my commitment to the project. <BR /> <BR />As all Members have highlighted, this is a project of huge significance. It is of significant strategic importance to the north-west region and our wider island, and it is strategically important if we are serious about tackling regional imbalance, improving the economy, job prospects and prosperity and connecting communities. Of course, as all Members have highlighted, it is also hugely important for road safety.”
“He had a part to play in sustaining the new bond of shared endeavour across these islands. <BR /> <BR />It will be a difficult week for many in our community. It is important that we all respect that and continue to work together to heal the divisions of our past and build a more united community.”
“We should also reflect on the role that he played alongside Queen Elizabeth in building relationships, setting aside enmity and promoting reconciliation, most visibly during their recent visit to Ireland.”
“While we across the House hold different views on the monarchy, his was a life of public service to a family that he clearly cherished and to people who held him in the highest regard. In 2014, as Lord Mayor of Belfast, I welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip to Belfast and hosted them for lunch in City Hall. While my interaction with Prince Philip was brief, the occasion was friendly, warm and very memorable. <BR /> <BR />The people of these islands are joined together by our common history and shared experiences of historic conflict. It would be remiss of us to fail to acknowledge that Prince Philip and his family were deeply affected by the conflict on this island and between these islands.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is a feature of commemorating significant or historic figures that we often reduce them to their best or, depending on your perspective, worst features. It is especially easy in the age of 280 characters to simplify the contribution of a lifetime into a quick turn of phrase. It is fair and important to say that the uncharitable and mean-spirited online commentary by some about Prince Philip in particular diminishes us all. <BR /> <BR />I do not intend to reflect on his life's history. I will leave that for others to discuss, save to say that Prince Philip was a complex individual who was shaped by loss in early childhood and who refused to be pigeonholed or placed in a box.”
“As deputy leader of the SDLP, I begin by expressing my sincere condolences and those of our party to Queen Elizabeth and her family on the loss of a loved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. My thoughts are particularly with the Queen, who has lost her husband of 73 years. To wake up without your steadfast companion of that length of time must be heartbreaking and, for many of us, is unimaginable. This is an immensely difficult time for them all, and it has been compounded by the restrictions, which have made saying goodbye so difficult for families and people across our islands. I also send my sincere condolences to people in communities across Northern Ireland who feel a special connection and affinity with Prince Philip and the royal family. This is a sorrowful time, and our thoughts are with you.”
“We have a duty and obligation to work together to address the problems that plague our communities. I assure the people of Northern Ireland that the SDLP remains committed to playing its part.”
“As leaders, we have an obligation to exercise our influence to reduce tensions and bring the violence to an end. The message that we all need to send today is one of unequivocal condemnation of those who are orchestrating the violence and pushing children and young people into harm's way. Rather than continue to fail those young people and leave them ripe for manipulation and exploitation, we need to be unequivocal in our commitment to tackle the poverty, alienation and hopelessness that is faced by so many young people and citizens in working-class communities. When Lyra McKee was brutally murdered, we all stood together and said, "Never again". We must all unite to act on that pledge. <BR /> <BR />John Hume once said that if the underlying problem has not changed, the underlying solution has not changed.”
“I absolutely agree with the Member. We should all reflect on the sad reality of the commonality that many of our citizens have. As we stand here today, 120,000 children are living in poverty, 40,000 families are waiting for a home that meets their needs, and thousands of people are waiting for urgent medical care. The children who are wearing balaclavas on our streets this week were born into a society that was not of their own making; an unequal society, where they start off at a disadvantage. They are looking to us for help. What we offer here today and in the weeks ahead needs to be more than judgement or criminal sanction. <BR /> <BR />I regret that some in the House followed the raging crowd rather than providing direction over the past few months.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the voices here that have condemned the violence of recent days. However, the truth is that we have condemned working-class communities to the cycle of violence for generations. I look at those young people in Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey and see the burden of poverty, isolation and alienation that they share with young people in the New Lodge and Ardoyne. This place, these institutions, should have been an example to people everywhere of what we can achieve by living for ideals, rather than fighting for them. Instead of building partnerships, we have allowed division to occupy the heart of our institutions. It has affected and infected our politics and communities. Most unforgivably, it has placed a limit on the scale of young people's ambitions.”
“The truth is that the violence, disorder and sustained attacks on police officers are a damning indictment of the quality of political leadership that has been provided to our communities. The fact that children are engaged in violence on our streets is a damning indictment of the quality of political leadership that has been provided to our communities. Those young people should look with excitement to their futures and careers. They should have the world at their feet. Instead, they are looking at criminal convictions that will follow them throughout their lives and limit their ambitions and opportunities. Is that the kind of society for which we want to be responsible? After years of lost opportunities and lives, are we content to sacrifice another generation to our own divisions?”
“It has to be said that the immediate response on social media from some political leaders fell far short of what was needed to provide assurances to people and communities who are afraid of where we will go next. <BR /> <BR />Today is not the day for a political blame game. The people of Northern Ireland are not stupid: they know how and why we got to this dreadful point. What the people of Northern Ireland want to know is what we, as their political leaders, are going to do to de-escalate the situation and prevent it from reoccurring and infecting another generation of disadvantaged young people. <BR /> <BR />I appeal to all Members to reflect seriously on where their words will take us over the next few hours and days.”
“I support the motion and speak on behalf of the SDLP. Like others, I want to begin by addressing the escalation in violence that took place in Belfast last night. When I became Infrastructure Minister last year, I never imagined that I would be receiving updates about the condition of one of our bus drivers — a public servant — after a bus was hijacked and petrol bombed, while the attackers were cheered on by a mob. Last night, a bus driver was attacked doing his job serving the community and a press photographer was attacked for doing his job in capturing the truth. Police officers were, for the eighth consecutive night, attacked for doing their job, protecting communities and keeping us safe. If anyone needed a wake-up call about the dangerous escalation of the situation, they should reflect on those facts.”
“I plead with the people of Northern Ireland, and, in the words of James Mayne, a grieving son who could not lift his father's coffin, who watched his father's cremation through a screen and who sacrificed that crucial act of closure that we all need: regardless of those who break the rules, please know that you are a better person for following them.”
“It is what all the families grieving across our island and all our citizens who are struggling through this painful pandemic deserve. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP brought this motion today to give a voice to our citizens. As I end, I make a plea to the people across Northern Ireland, who have faithfully followed the asks made of them time and time again at the joint press conferences by the First Minister and deputy First Minister. I appeal to all those who have adhered to the regulations and the guidance, who have made countless personal sacrifices for the common good and who rightly feel angry and betrayed.”
“Where is the consistency in the policing response to the Black Lives Matter protesters, to the family of those remembering their loved ones brutally murdered at Sean Graham bookmakers on the Ormeau Road, to the crowd of loyalist paramilitaries in Pitt Park, to the funeral of Francie McNally or to the funeral of Bobby Storey? Those are serious questions and we will rigorously pursue answers to all of them through the accountability structures of the Policing Board. <BR /> <BR />As I draw my remarks to a close, I call on this Assembly to stand up for people across our island who have made so many sacrifices, for truth and justice, and for fairness and accountability.”
“There can be no excuses; all of us are fully aware of the seven rules of public life that all Ministers have committed to upholding: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Leadership underpins it all. The truth is, be it the actions of Sammy Wilson and Arlene Foster's refusal to sanction and condemn his actions, or the actions of Michelle O'Neill and Conor Murphy in this instance, people rightly feel failed. <BR /> <BR />Just as people look to their political leaders for leadership, at all times people look to the police for independence, impartiality and consistency in upholding the rule of law.”
“However, it is the arrogance of Sinn Féin and their refusal to acknowledge, explain and give a full apology that brings us here today. Enough of the wordplay. No more diluted craftily-worded apologies. I ask the leadership of Sinn Féin to let this be the day that, without qualification or equivocation, they offer the people of the North a full explanation. <BR /> <BR />At all times, but especially in a crisis, people look to those in positions of political leadership to be honest with them, protect them, put their interests first and to lead by example. They look to leaders to stand with them, not above them; to hold themselves to a higher standard, not a different standard; and, at the very least, to follow the rules that they and their party set.”
“It is a question of doing what is right. It is to show people, families across our island who have made huge sacrifices, that those who imposed the rules and then broke them must be held to account. <BR /> <BR />This is no longer about a funeral. It is now an issue of why Sinn Féin believes that they are above the restrictions, above the law and above the public health advice. We are here today to hear Sinn Féin account for their actions and answer the question that countless citizens across the North are asking: why is it one rule for the political elite in Sinn Féin and one rule for the rest of us? <BR /> <BR />Had the deputy First Minister acknowledged last July that mistakes had been made and had she made a sincere apology then, we would not be here today.”
“Why did they pretend to the public during the daily press conferences that they understood? If virtually every family knew, then why did Sinn Féin public representatives not know? The truth is that they did. We all knew, but they chose to break them anyway. It was a deliberate and proactive calculation that they set aside the law that they had made because it suited their agenda. They made that choice. Sinn Féin chose not to stand with the people, but to put themselves above them. <BR /> <BR />Over the past few days, there has been commentary in certain quarters that the SDLP is acting for political capital. That is untrue. Today, it is not just the SDLP calling out the purposeful rule-breaking, but every single party in the Executive, alongside our colleagues in the Green Party. This is not a political fight.”