Liz Kimmins
Newry and Armagh · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I do not know how it will have affected North Antrim specifically unless the Member is referring to something in particular. We all have a responsibility in climate change and what we do to try to mitigate its impacts.”
“As the Member rightly said, removal of the zero-detriment policy is for the AERA Minister, and I have engaged with the Minister on that, as well as on the removal of the statement of regulatory principles and intent. I recognise that removing that would have detrimental impact on future development.”
“In response, we recently developed and introduced new appraisal guidance, which represents a significant and deliberate shift in approach. Under the previous arrangements, schemes were largely determined by a monetised cost-benefit ratio threshold where, typically, projects that fell below a ratio of one did not progress.”
“A number of significant issues have led to that scenario. I assume that the Member is referring to waste water capacity. I have said that NI Water has suggested that it needs between £3·5 billion to £3·6 billion for the next price control period.”
“Recruitment is a key challenge faced by all Departments. In questions to the Minister of Health, my colleague from Newry and Armagh referred to the recruitment issue that recently impacted on Daisy Hill. The challenge is not unique to DFI. I want to put a focus on ensuring that we build our internal capacity and improve staffing levels.”
“The Executive and the Assembly agree that the Executive's Budget is not adequate, which is why we are in that negotiation. When it comes to the capital budget, we have to factor in a timeline for the legal challenge that we are going through. It is unlikely that we will get a decision from the court on this side of the summer recess.”
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“<BR /> <BR />We know that the storms continue to increase in frequency, and so does the risk to road safety and the associated disruption and cost, particularly on our coastal routes, which are more susceptible to the impact of high winds, as Members have explained, with sea walls being overtopped and the associated debris and flooding. Whilst we all have a responsibility to keep ourselves safe when we travel, we also appreciate our role in contributing to that responsibility, and that is important to me. <BR /> <BR />The A20 is an essential feature of life for those who live on the Ards peninsula and the many thousands of people who use the road daily, including the Members who are here. It is also a popular tourist drive, and traffic volumes can be much higher in holiday periods and on summer weekends.”
“With every incident, we are continually learning, and we are looking at what we can expect in future. There have been some excellent examples, and it is important to highlight where there was good work following storms Éowyn, Amy and Bram, which some Members have mentioned, when many roads were closed because of fallen trees and flooding. The staff in my Department work extremely hard to ensure that we are clearing obstructions and reopening roads as quickly as possible and that we work properly in cooperation with all the other organisations to ensure road-user safety. A lot of that work goes unseen, and it is important to highlight that, particularly as many of our staff potentially put themselves at risk when dealing with such incidents.”
“As Members will be aware, following the restructuring of central government Departments in May 2016, my Department assumed the lead role in the strategic coordination of the response to severe weather emergencies and took responsibility for key functions, including working with other organisations to ensure that emergency preparations are as good as they can be and providing knowledge and expertise to inform the actions of any multi-agency response to severe weather emergencies. <BR /> <BR />The frequency of extreme weather events — we had another one last week, and we have had warnings over the past couple of days of further potential events — has resulted in the need for ongoing, continuous improvement of our emergency response to weather events.”
“The Department's focus on weather-related preparedness activities is an important part of that. Those are aimed at reducing the potential adverse consequences of storms, particularly on our health and safety, economic activity and the environment. <BR /> <BR />It is no secret that we continually operate in a constrained financial position. Without continued investment in our infrastructure it will be more difficult to do all that we need to do. However, I try to maximise what I am able to deliver with the budget and the resources available to me.”
“I thank Ms Armstrong for instigating this important debate. The impact of storms on the A20 is an important concern for Members across the Chamber. I have listened intently to the comments and issues that have been raised. When it comes to what you and your constituents are having to deal with, particularly in the aftermath of storms, the concerns are very clear. <BR /> <BR />Since I was appointed as Minister a year ago today, I have been very focused on what I can do to improve people's lives because, for me, people are central to everything that we all — particularly my Department — do.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“We are in a situation, but a lot of things have been out of our control, not least the weather. It is important to say that, even if we had got ahead of this two weeks ago, we would have seen a further deterioration of the same roads last week when we had very heavy rainfall. We have the same people out tackling lots of issues as a result of the storms. They are also out gritting. All of that has had an impact on the integrity of our roads. However, as I said, we have been working closely with officials to see what else we can do, how we can maximise the resources that we have in the Department and what additional investment we can get to tackle the issue in the here and now.”
“I have not given any excuses. I have told you exactly what I am proactively trying to do. Support from Executive colleagues is required to get investment into my Department so that I can deal with the issues at hand. I will not be found wanting when it comes to the work that I am doing.”
“It is about making sure that we efficiently use the limited resource that we have so that people see better results on the ground.”
“That issue has come up time and again. We are looking at different approaches to enhancing the resources needed to target pothole repairs and, as I have said in the draft roads maintenance strategy, bigger stretches of road so that we do not continually go back, because that is a waste of time for our staff. It is about how we can improve the resilience of the road network. <BR /> <BR />We are also looking at how we can recruit more staff, as I have said, to enhance resource capacity, and looking at doing things ahead of winter periods so that we are prepared, through surface dressing etc, including in rural areas. We are doing a number of things. We are also looking at other approaches and at what is happening elsewhere.”
“I continually look at the budget to see where else we could make savings that could ensure that I could invest more in our roads maintenance and in new schemes for resurfacing while delivering on all my other ministerial responsibilities, including active travel.”
“We could spend all day comparing the different schemes that there could be, and there are different viewpoints on that. The Minister and the Department have a responsibility to take in and look at the views of a wide range of people. A lot of the work that we do has to go through consultation. <BR /> <BR />I recognise that consultants' fees can be high, but that applies to all areas of government and is not specific to my Department. We continually look at where we can make efficiencies and savings. It is incumbent on all Ministers to look within our Departments to see whether we can make further savings to live within our budgets, because that is what we are expected to do. Given the overall Executive Budget, it is particularly difficult, but we have to be prudent and ensure that we show due diligence.”
“The first port of call is to go through the emergency line or to contact your local section engineer, who can probably respond in a more efficient manner.”
“The issue was raised with me today, and I have spoken to officials about it, because I recognise that, as I have said, things can deteriorate quickly and do not always happen during nine-to-five hours. It is important that elected reps, if they cannot get a response through the helpline, contact the local section office or one of the section engineers — we should all have contact details for them — who take such things very seriously and will respond. <BR /> <BR />I know of an example, given to me this morning, of the PSNI having to be contacted. If a road needs to be closed, that may be the appropriate avenue. I say that not to put extra pressure on the PSNI but because it has the power to close a road, whereas we do not.”
“I am not too sure what the question was — I could not really hear it — but I assume that you are reporting potholes in that specific area. If those have not been reported already, we can certainly take that away and ask for them to be looked at.”
“We have been made aware of issues with the website, such as error messages coming up. We are working with IT to try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. If constituents or elected representatives are unable to use the website properly, I encourage them to, where possible, contact their local section office directly for a response.”
“As I said, there is a prioritisation process: we try to address the most safety-critical defects first, because we want to ensure that the roads are as safe as possible; resources are targeted to those potholes in the first instance. However, roads can continue to deteriorate, and, as I said when giving an example earlier, I appreciate that that can happen rapidly — within a day in some cases, given certain weather conditions and heavy traffic. I encourage elected representatives to continue to feed in as much as possible, particularly with images, because that allows us to make decisions even quicker. I am not putting the onus back on others, but, as I outlined, we cannot have staff on every road at every hour of the day. Therefore, we appreciate that information coming in, as it helps us to better prioritise.”
“I do not know the criteria for a roads emergency. That has come up time and time again. I am focused on finding solutions to deal with the issues that we face in the short, medium and long term. That is the only way in which we will see real progress. We can all give examples of where work needs to be done; for me, it is about how we make sure that that work is done. I am working on that with officials, and I am committed to doing so in the long term.”
“It is important to say that I have asked officials to engage with contractors to see whether there is more that we can do, with the resources that they have, to enhance the response to what we are dealing with. As I have said, the best way to give confidence to the contractors and the public that we can invest more in capacity and deliver more adequately is to have a stable, long-term funding pipeline, which we would get from a multi-year Budget.”
“As I have said, maintenance of rural roads was a specific priority. Out of that monitoring round, I was able to allocate just over £4 million to patching for the remainder of the financial year. I also mentioned the 40 schemes that will be programmed in over the next three months, many of which are already on the ground and being delivered. It is important to note that, had we not been able to get that money through December monitoring and had I not prioritised roads maintenance, we would not have been able to deliver those 40 schemes in this financial year. The allocation ensures that my Department is able to maximise the contractor capacity that is available, in addition to my Department's capacity, to address the concerns that exist about road conditions following the exceptional weather that has been experienced in recent weeks.”
“Loss assessors are also employed on occasion to provide expert advice on the extent and likely cost of the damage. Furthermore, in some cases, there are personal injury claims, so medical records from external bodies may have to be examined. We therefore have to ensure that the process is thorough. I presume that Members agree that, when we are dealing with public money, we have to go through such processes. <BR /> <BR />I appreciate that four months is quite a lengthy period, but, as I said, increased numbers of claims are coming in. We are trying to deal with and respond to the issues in hand as well. The process takes time. Where we can speed it up and streamline it, we absolutely will. We do not want anybody to be waiting any longer than they should, but we also have to ensure that all the checks and balances are in place.”
“I have mentioned today lots of things that we are working towards. My key message is that I am being proactive in getting additional investment from Executive colleagues. I will use that investment to deal with such issues in the immediate and short term. I am also working in my Department to find ways in which to maximise our capacity. <BR /> <BR />On your question about the claims process, in order to investigate a claim thoroughly, officials have to check highway inspection records, repair records and other records that the Department already holds. They also need to confirm whether a contractor or any other third-party organisation is involved and check invoices and receipts for repairs. In some instances, they have to arrange site inspections.”
“I did that following the December monitoring round, when, as I mentioned, almost £30 million went into roads. Likewise, I am working to try to get additional funding from the Executive before the end of the financial year, and as soon as possible. It is therefore critical that we get as much funding as we can so that we can deliver. We are, however, looking at how we can continue to build our capacity so that, in the future, we can build a more sustainable and resilient road network right across the North.”
“I could say lots of things about that, because many benefits would come from uniting with our counterparts in the South. For a lot of the issues, investment is key. As I said, staffing is probably the key issue to address in order to build our capacity to respond to other issues and deliver bigger schemes. I would prefer to do big road resurfacing schemes that improve the entire road network rather than have to respond to potholes here, there and everywhere. For me, that is not the best use of our money, but we are dealing with years and years of underinvestment. <BR /> <BR />I have made it a strong priority to ensure that, where I am able to, I target the investment that I get at the right places, and I am putting it into our roads.”
“The Member has just outlined the scale of the problem that we are dealing with and how difficult it is to get everything done at once. As I said, we are trying proactively to find other ways to maximise our resources. Even if we had all the money in the world, we might not have all the people to deliver that tomorrow. <BR /> <BR />It is about trying to find ways to progress it as quickly as possible. We have to prioritise, as every Department does, but we are working extremely hard to find a way forward. As I said, even before we had this urgent debate, as it has been called, I was working with officials to find ways to deal with the problem in the aftermath of the weather over the past couple of weeks, during which we saw such significant deterioration, but also to help us to plan ahead for the coming years.”
“I would like to see where I have called it a "pothole scanner". That is not what we said. It is a digital survey to look at the condition of our roads, footpaths and the network as a whole. People can dress it up in whatever way they want for a headline. We are trying to get ahead of the issue and to show that we are using innovations in technology to better target our resources so that we do not have to send people out to the same road two or three times to pick up defects as they arise. We are trying to see where the network will potentially break down so that we can target our investment properly.”
“Absolutely. That is how we inform the prioritisation of the defects. I was speaking to someone this morning who said that they saw a pothole that was not as severe earlier in the day as it was a number of hours later because of the heavy rainfall and the volume of traffic on the road. Things can break down very quickly, escalating the significance of the problem. Where that is happening, elected reps should feed that back to us so that we can respond as quickly as possible to make sure that the roads are safe, which is the key issue, and that the road network is maintained.”
“<BR /> <BR />We should not be sitting at the end of the year trying to get more and more money to deal with the issues in the shorter term; we should be able to plan ahead. That is why a multi-year Budget is critical for this, for our waste water infrastructure and for health, education and all the other issues that are important to our constituents. I will continue to work on the issue, and I will work with anybody who wants to work with me.”
“Roads are in bad condition across the North, as we all know; that experience will, I think, be shared comprehensively here today. I am happy to write to the Member with the figures. My Department has had numerous questions for written answer asking for those figures. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the number of compensation claims is increasing, and I have stated that previously. That is not just under my leadership; it has been happening for some time. That is down to the fact that we are continually playing catch-up when it comes to maintaining our roads. We are responding and reacting, rather than being able to invest. That is why we have taken steps to deliver a new road maintenance strategy to improve the sustainability and resilience of our road network. That is what I am trying to do.”
“Keep engaging with the Department to see where it is, because I assure you that we are continually working through that. <BR /> <BR />The situation that we are in now is obviously adding to the workload. We have a limited number of staff. However, we are trying to get out to as much as possible. It is so important that, for everything that is seen, even the public can report it, because the more information we have, the better it is for the Department to be informed and to deal with that. Do continually engage with the Department so that you are informed on where that sits so that you can relay that to your constituents.”
“As a representative engaging with me now on that — I am sure that you have engaged with my Department — you will understand that we have to look at all of the schemes that are required and prioritise them in relation to funding. That is always a challenge. That does not solve the issue there and then, but we all have a responsibility to say, "We are reporting it; we are trying to get it prioritised until such time". <BR /> <BR />I assume it is on a list to be completed.”
“We are also using that to inform how we best target resources. <BR /> <BR />The other thing that it is important to say is about responding to reports as they come in. If there are issues that are particularly critical, we will get a temporary repair to make it safe until we can get out to do that permanent repair. There is a bit of a process, and I know that that may seem as if people are not responding properly, but that is why we have to do it. We need to make sure that we get to as much as possible as quickly as possible.”
“Absolutely. When I launched our draft road maintenance strategy, I highlighted that. We want to pre-empt and get ahead of roads breaking down into some of the conditions that we see today so that we can deal with it sooner and it will not require us to go out and come back and go out and come back. <BR /> <BR />What we are dealing with now is a significant deterioration in a very short time, particularly over the past couple of weeks, with such a freeze and thaw and then the very heavy rain. We saw, I think, the highest rainfall in January ever, according to some of the news reports this week. That has had a significant impact on the structural integrity of our road surfaces, so I am keen to get ahead of that. We are trying to do that in advance of next year by ensuring that we use the mapping that we are doing through the digital survey.”
“Absolutely. That is what we have been working towards. As I said, we are constantly looking at what else we can do. We are looking at how we can reallocate money within the budget that is there, and we have to point out the difference between resource budgets and capital budgets, because they are different things. <BR /> <BR />Every Department is stretched. However, I will not be found wanting in my action and activities to deal with that. We all drive on the roads. We see it every day, and my office is inundated with people highlighting the issues. I have to do as much as I can with what I have. If there is anything else that we can do, as I said, it is important that we do that urgently, and I will be relying on Executive colleagues for their support.”
“We see more and more extreme weather every year. We are trying to deal with it as responsibly as possible. In the last three months, we have had 49,000 defects in our roads: that did not happen overnight. It is because of significant underinvestment in our road network for many years and significant underinvestment in our Executive Budget. <BR /> <BR />I am committed to doing all that I can and working with my officials to see how we can best respond and maximise. We have to prioritise the defects that have a safety-critical aspect to them and ensure that we do it in the most timely fashion. That is what we are doing.”
“I absolutely have been doing that. It is important to note that the figure at today's prices that is needed to properly maintain our road network is £1·6 billion. Therefore, £850 million is nowhere near what is needed to maintain our roads to the standard that we all expect. However, I have been proactively working with officials in the Department to see how we can maximise our resources, including our staff and the funding that I am given. As I outlined in my initial answer, I have been working to get additional investment in this financial year. I hope that Members on the Benches opposite will support me with those bids, because they are crucial. <BR /> <BR />As I have outlined, we are looking at a longer-term strategy, because this is not the first time that we have been here. We are continually here.”
“I am pleased to say that the Department will be proactively launching further recruitment initiatives this year, such as the apprenticeship model. <BR /> <BR />I will continue to do everything that I can with what I have to maintain and improve our road network, which is vital for connecting communities and businesses. Road safety is a high priority for my Department, and we are committed to working proactively to make sure that our roads are safer and address the needs of all road users. As Members are aware, on 27 January, I launched my Department's latest road safety action plan to 2027, and it supports the ongoing work of the road safety strategy in the longer term. However, I recognise that today's issue is about the immediate conditions that we are experiencing on our roads right now.”
“As an MLA from a constituency with a vast rural area, I am also acutely aware of the particular impact on our rural roads and will continue to work with Executive colleagues in multi-year Budget discussions to prioritise road funding, including that for rural roads. <BR /> <BR />Better roads is one of my seven foundations for the future, and I am working on a package of further funding to remedy the impact of the recent severe weather conditions on our roads. That commitment follows my announcement of the recent launch of a transformative new approach to road maintenance for consultation. I also recognise the impact that staff and contractor capacity can have on our ability to deliver and act responsively, particularly at this time of year. Because of that, I have prioritised staff recruitment in this year's budget and going forward.”
“My Department provides some of the most essential infrastructure services to our society. Through the additional funding provided to my Department in December monitoring and the delivery of my commitment to do all I can to make our roads better, I have been able to reprioritise funding in my Department. <BR /> <BR />That allocation has allowed us to programme an additional 40 schemes to the end of this financial year. Importantly, those are larger-scale resurfacing projects that future-proof roads from the type of potholes that we see now. In recognition of the importance of the rural road network, I committed an additional £4 million to target funding on rural roads.”
“They heard all the different memories from people who have attended the school, and it was a very successful night celebrating everything about Jonesborough Primary School. <BR /> <BR />I congratulate the Friends of Jonesborough Primary School, the school and the entire community for their fantastic recognition of an incredible milestone. I really look forward to what the future holds for Jonesborough Primary School.”
“I send my congratulations to Jonesborough Primary School, in my constituency of Newry and Armagh, which has celebrated its 180th birthday over the past year. The school was founded during the great hunger here in Ireland in 1845. The building that the children attend today is the same building that was established almost two centuries ago. Steeped in history, the school has shown superb resilience and endurance, given what it has come through over that period. It remains a very strong, positive environment for children, and indeed the community, in rural Jonesborough. <BR /> <BR />Last Friday night in the Carrickdale Hotel, the school community came together with past pupils, supporters, family and friends to celebrate and reminisce about everything that the school has achieved.”
“The framework for making new transport policy and investment decisions for the council area is the Causeway Coast and Glens local transport plan that I referred to earlier. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I thank Cara Hunter for securing the Adjournment debate and all Members for their contributions. I cannot reiterate enough the value of our infrastructure and how important it is. Tonight's debate has really highlighted that. I also thank Maurice Bradley for his comments on the information and communication that has happened and the work of officials and staff on the ground. We are trying extremely hard to minimise the impact of the work, but we recognise that it has been disruptive and a big inconvenience for people. However, we hope that you can bear with us and that we see the completion of both in the coming weeks. Thank you very much.”
“No. I am nearly finished. I will just finish that point. <BR /> <BR />Officials worked at pace to develop a solution to stabilise the structure, and, following an accelerated procurement exercise, works commenced on-site on Monday 10 November. To mitigate the impact as best we could, temporary supports were put in place that allowed the bridge to open to cars and light vehicles on Saturday 6 December. I am pleased to confirm that work is progressing as planned, with the road on track to fully reopen to all traffic by mid February. However, as Members have mentioned, I am aware that the council recently passed a motion to request that a new bridge be considered as part of its local development plan.”
“Officials worked at pace to develop a solution —.”
“The Department continues to deliver a programme of priority targeted road safety interventions through the local transport and safety measures programme, which helps to progress improvements across the road network. Requests for local safety measures and improvements to the network, including the provision of traffic signals and road improvement schemes, are assessed in line with my Department's current policies and guidance, and all works are subject to prioritisation and budget availability. <BR /> <BR />The Kilrea Bridge is another key area of the work and has had a significant impact. As Members know, in the interests of public safety, officials took the decision to close the Kilrea Bridge on the Bann Road on 20 September last year, due to extensive cracking on a retaining wall at the south-west end of the bridge.”
“Some additional costs had to be incurred for the increased traffic management measures. Although those additional works were not included in the original scheme, it was efficient to progress them as part of the scheme in order to avoid further disruption at a later date. If the scope of a project changes, it is inevitable that costs increase. I would like to think, however, that Members would agree that, rather than adding further time to the scheme, it made sense to do that work at the same time as the existing work. <BR /> <BR />As road safety continues to be a key priority, I am committed to ensuring that all road users can travel safely and with confidence. The road safety strategy to 2030 is important for refocusing minds and energy on creating safe roads, safe vehicles and safe people.”
“It started just before I came into post. There were some interruptions to the scheme because of the Open and the Foyle Cup. We took decisions to try to ensure that traffic kept moving during those major events. Likewise, there is a Christmas embargo period: roadworks are embargoed until the Christmas period ends. All those things have also had an impact on timelines, which I appreciate has prolonged the inconvenience for people who live in the area. <BR /> <BR />Members highlighted the additional spend. The cost of the works has increased from £2·6 million to approximately £3·2 million, which is attributed mainly to the future-proofing of the works, including the provision of street light ducting, drainage improvements and additional works at Faughanvale Bridge.”
“The contractor has, where possible and to the best of its ability, done off-peak work, but I recognise that, as there are residents along the route, night-time working may not always be a viable option. My Department has worked closely with the contractor to try to keep it to a minimum, but I fully appreciate that delays on the road network can be frustrating. The examples that Members have given really highlight just how much the work has impacted on the local community and local businesses. I ask the public to continue to be patient and understanding, as best they can: they have been extremely patient to date, but I hope that we will see the completion of the work in the next few weeks. <BR /> <BR />Members also asked about the time that it has taken to complete the scheme. I think that it has taken around 12 months.”
“It is anticipated that the scheme will be substantially complete by the end of February 2026, with no further phases planned on the section thereafter. It has to be said, however, that, with the delivery of a scheme of that nature and scale, it is inevitable that there will be traffic delays. I am not trying to underestimate or underplay the significance of those delays — there has been huge disruption — but the scheme is complex. Alan Robinson mentioned the Sydenham bypass, but we cannot compare the two schemes; they are not like for like. The Sydenham bypass work was a resurfacing scheme, while the scheme that we are talking about required a lot of additional work, such as road widening. <BR /> <BR />Members asked about the ability to do the works off peak or through the night.”
“On completion, the scheme will provide significantly enhanced cycling and pedestrian facilities between Ballykelly and Greysteel. It is part of my Department's long-term strategic plan for greenways, which will improve active travel facilities on the north coast for the benefit of the local community. It will also enhance the local tourism offering. <BR /> <BR />Members will be aware that the scheme is nearing completion. Resurfacing works commenced on 19 January and are expected to take approximately two weeks, subject to weather conditions. Members will appreciate, particularly given the weather that we have experienced over the past 24 hours, that there are things that are beyond our control that can impact on end dates.”