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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“I thank the Members for tabling a motion on a billboard that is not there and has not been there for some time. It is clear that the Members who tabled the motion do not drive past the location very often. If they did, they would know that there is no Sinn Féin billboard at the Egyptian Arch.”
“That did not come up specifically. However, it potentially will in the future, given the issues that you have outlined. I know that, in other organisations, people are looking at how you can use that better and transfer the energy into something that benefits the local area. To date, it has not come up with me at the meetings, but I am happy to see what we can do on it in future.”
“I am not too sure what that has to do with what we are talking about here today. There are policies in place across all organisations around balance in staffing numbers etc. It is about the quality of staff. We have brilliant staff right across the island. There are equal opportunities for anyone who wishes to join an organisation such as Waterways Ireland.”
“To deliver phase 3 of the Ulster canal restoration project, Waterways Ireland will need to acquire lands in County Fermanagh. It does not have the powers necessary to make vesting orders. However, my Department has the powers to make the orders on its behalf. Officials in my Department are working with Waterways Ireland to make any vesting orders necessary to acquire the lands needed in the North for phase 3 of the restoration project.”
“As part of the work to develop, that has to have been factored in at all stages. From what we heard on the day, it is a worthwhile and important initiative. We have seen that in other organisations, and even those in the private sector have started to use similar fuel and methods. We can all play our part in reducing our carbon footprint and its impact on climate change, so it is worthwhile. If the Member would like more information on that, we can certainly get specific details.”
“That ties in with a lot of what I have outlined with regard to Waterways Ireland's 10-year plan on climate action and sustainable development. It is clear to me that it is taking those issues extremely seriously. That is an important part of the work that it is doing, given its link with biodiversity and ecology. It has undertaken significant work to address those issues to ensure that it plays its part from a climate change perspective.”
“On a more practical level, Waterways Ireland is leading by example. I mentioned the hydrotreated vegetable oil. It has migrated its fleet in the northern region to using hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel, and we had an excellent presentation on that. As I mentioned, Waterways Ireland is retrofitting is headquarters in Enniskillen and its other buildings to reduce its carbon footprint.”
“Waterways Ireland has an increased focus on the sustainable management of the natural environment on waterways. Given its remit, it is intrinsically connected to the protection of biodiversity and ecology. Its 10-year plan has climate action sustainable development as one of its strategic priorities, and all its activities align with United Nations sustainable development goals. <BR /> <BR />An ambitious training programme on climate action and sustainability has been delivered to upskill the senior management team and provide a dedicated curriculum for all staff. In 2022, Waterways Ireland adopted its 10-year climate action plan, and it continues to deliver on that. It has developed a heritage and biodiversity plan that forms the foundation for the sustainable management of the body's assets for this and future generations.”
“There has been some significant work. A lot of it has been done in conjunction with Waterways Ireland, and I have given examples. There are so many more opportunities that we need to explore, however. Funding will be an issue, and that is why Shared Island funding, for example, is so important, as it enables us to progress some really important schemes. There are lots of opportunities, and we can look at blueways outside of the collaborative, all-island work that we are doing to see what more we can do across the North, be that in conjunction with councils or other bodies. It is something that I am open to doing, and I would like to see what else we can do.”
“A broad response to that is that we are always looking at what we can do and how we can maximise the budget that we have in order to have the greatest impact. The Member will be aware that, this year, we have increased the budget for road safety advertising and campaigns. We have made really good use of that money, but there is always more that we can do. I continually review what we can do in order to have the best impact.”
“All funding for the project to date has been provided by the Irish Government, including funding through the Shared Island Fund, with further commitments in place.”
“The Ulster canal project is being progressed in three phases. Phase 1 is from Lough Erne to Castle Saunderson, and phase 2 is from Clones to Clonfad. Both are now complete and open for navigation. I had the pleasure of visiting Clones last year. It is a fantastic project. <BR /> <BR />Work on the third and final phase from Castle Saunderson to Clonfad is in progress. Pre-construction work, including the acquisition of land and the renewal of planning permission, is under way. Phase 3 is subdivided into four sub-phases, and the current estimated completion date for all sub-phases is 2028-29. I am fully committed to supporting the completion of that ambitious project, which will be transformational for communities and businesses in the region.”
“As the Member is aware, the Newry canal is not within Waterways Ireland's remit, which is why it was not discussed.”
“We noted the progress made on the construction of the Narrow Water bridge between Cornamucklagh in County Louth and Warrenpoint in County Down and agreed to hold the next inland waterways sectoral meeting in spring 2026. <BR /> <BR />My officials and I look forward to our continued work with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and his officials in all areas of cooperation in the Waterways Ireland sector.”
“The draft corporate plan for 2026-28 is currently being prepared. The draft business plan for 2026 and the draft corporate plan for 2026-28 will be presented to the Council for approval at the earliest opportunity. <BR /> <BR />We consented to the granting of a number of Waterways Ireland property disposals, and we received a presentation on the Shannon tourism master plan for 2020-2030. We noted the partnership among Waterways Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and 10 local authorities in developing the master plan; the collaboration with other stakeholders, authorities and agencies in the region to deliver the master plan; its success in its first five years; and other initiatives that have developed since its implementation commenced.”
“<BR /> <BR />We noted the draft Waterways Ireland annual report and accounts for 2024, which have been submitted to the Comptrollers and Auditors General in both jurisdictions. We noted that Waterways Ireland's draft 2026 business plan has been submitted to sponsor Departments and is under review.”
“<BR /> <BR />We recognised the achievements of Waterways Ireland in reaching the final of the competition for best digital marketing campaign at the All-Ireland Marketing Awards and, for the project 'A Boatman's Journey', at the eGovernment Awards. <BR /> <BR />We also recognised Waterways Ireland's commitment to the implementation of its people strategy and to staff well-being. We welcomed the actions being taken by Waterways Ireland with regard to addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, including work to transition its operational fleet to hydrotreated vegetable oil; the establishment of a canals working group focused on the management of water in canals; and ongoing work to develop a sustainability road map aligned to the United Nations sustainable development goals.”
“<BR /> <BR />We welcomed the progress achieved by Waterways Ireland since the previous meeting of the Council in the inland waterways sector, including the ongoing work on phase 3 of the Ulster canal restoration project. We also noted progress on projects including the construction of a new depot in Tullamore and the repurposing of the former site; the development of a five-year maintenance plan for the Barrow navigation; the replacement of Camden sea lock gates; and the upgrade of the public realm at Wilton Terrace along the Grand canal. We welcomed the continuing collaboration with other stakeholders on the delivery of greenways and blueways and the extensive energy retrofits at the Waterways Ireland headquarters in Enniskillen to enhance sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.”
“in compliance with section 52 of the NI Act 1998, I will make a statement on the North/South Ministerial Council inland waterways meeting that was held at the North/South Ministerial Council joint secretariat headquarters in Armagh on 28 November 2025. The Executive were represented by me, as Minister for Infrastructure, and junior Minister in the Executive Office Joanne Bunting. The Irish Government were represented by James Browne, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The statement has been agreed with junior Minister Bunting, and I make it on behalf of both of us. I chaired the meeting, and the following is a note of what was discussed.”
“I hope that that reassures the public of my commitment and my determination to tackle the issues going forward.”
“I live in south Armagh and represent the constituency. I am aware of the significant challenges with the condition of our roads. The recent cold snap has led to the further deterioration of roads, and we all see potholes popping up everywhere. I look at them myself and report them when I see them. It absolutely is not the responsibility of a local group to take on that role. We have a mechanism for reporting potholes on the nidirect website, which is a straightforward way of doing that, and we see teams acting as quickly as they can, obviously within the limited service policy that exists. Due to constraints on funding and limited resources, they have to prioritise. However, as I mentioned, I have invested an additional £4 million in this financial year, particularly for rural roads.”
“I welcome the new MLA for Newry and Armagh. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you in the time ahead.”
“There are lots of aspects to the issue, and there is no easy solution, but I gave a commitment that we will do as much as we can to find a solution that will help residents with the issues that they have raised.”
“I had the pleasure of meeting some of the residents there, so I know how much of an issue that is. In fact, I worked in Hillsborough health centre for a short while, so I am very familiar with the village. Officials in my Department have commissioned an assessment of alternative routes for HGV traffic to inform the relative merits of the proposal for a weight limit, particularly its impacts on road safety in the village and on the surrounding road network. The report of that assessment is with my officials, who will consider the detail before determining next steps. I expect to receive an update next month and hope to be able to provide further information.”
“Work on the large-scale patching at the Ballynahinch Road junction and wider resurfacing needs will be considered in the context of the public realm works, and consideration must be given to the potential of having to come back to do additional work. It is my understanding that that is the rationale for that decision.”
“Approximately £7 million funding has been allocated from the Belfast region city deal to taking forward the environmental improvement works in Royal Hillsborough. The works are expected to commence in March 2027. As part of those works, the council intends to install a pedestrian crossing at lower Main Street, with my Department taking forward the installation of a crossing outside Downshire Primary School as part of its 2026 programme. <BR /> <BR />Whilst I recognise that resurfacing is required in much of Hillsborough, progressing that ahead of any public realm works would not be an appropriate use of my Department's resources.”
“Yes, absolutely. The collaboration that took place, even across Departments, to develop those measures shows what can be achieved when we work together well with a common goal to make improvements for people. That will align naturally with what goes into the eastern transport plan. I encourage as many people as possible to respond to the consultation on that plan, because that is a good opportunity for everyone to shape the future of public transport routes and other ways of travelling in our city centres. We will be able to learn from that. That is a positive part of the work that will happen.”
“As part of my commitment to delivering an effective and reliable public transport service, particularly over the Christmas period, I extended weekday bus lane hours on eight busy corridors, including the Ormeau Road, the Malone Road and the lower Lisburn Road, from 7.30 am to 9.30 am and 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm. Doing that helped minimise the impact on Translink services of peak-hour traffic jams and allowed them to operate more reliably.”
“On the back of the challenges that we saw at Christmas 2024, John, when he was Infrastructure Minister, and I, when I took up the role, just under a year ago, felt that it was important to work closely with key stakeholders in the city centre. That involved listening carefully to them and taking on board what they felt would work well. I announced that I was bringing forward the embargo on Christmas roadworks by two weeks to help strike a balance between the need to deliver key infrastructure projects for the public and the need to support our business, retail and hospitality sectors. The reopening of Durham Street after a year's closure also helped ease traffic congestion significantly in that part of the city.”
“Apologies, I could not hear you. The issue is one that is prevalent across the North. It is frustrating, and I appreciate that. I hope that the Member understands the difficult position that the Department is in when it comes to its getting involved. It is the developer's responsibility, and a number of steps have been taken to ensure that the developer meets its responsibility. I do not have the details of the case to hand, but if the Member would like to provide me with more detail, I will look into it to see where the development stands. I know that it is a huge challenge, however. As the Member will know, I announced changes for unadopted roads earlier in the year. Hopefully, those changes might help in that scenario. If the Member wants to provide me with more detail, however, I can update him accordingly.”
“I am happy to speak to officials to see where we are at with that and to determine what the next steps will be. I will come back to the Member in writing, if that suits. I am happy to take the issue on board and see what we can do, particularly given that road safety is a priority for the area.”
“I assure the Member, however, that staff were on-site at the earliest possible stage after my departmental officials had been made aware of the situation.”
“On Saturday 10 January at approximately 12.45 pm, officials were advised that the traffic signals on Clifton Street, at the junction with the A12, were not operating. By 1.45 pm on the same day, a maintenance team was on-site trying to identify the issue. Unfortunately, because of the complexity of the repair that was required, the signals could not be made operational again until lunchtime on Monday 12 January. The location of the traffic signals on the Clifton Street bridge presents unique maintenance challenges, so the defective parts could not be repaired over the weekend. I appreciate the frustration. I send my best wishes to the Member's constituent. When such things happen, they present huge challenges and issues arise, which are sometimes beyond our control.”
“The report identifies and highlights just how important Newry is on the Belfast-Dublin economic corridor and shows that it is a very attractive location for commuters. Given that it is a significant proposal — 6,000 new houses — lots of things have to be taken into consideration before any decisions are made.”
“I think that I have just secured the ownership of the Executive. <BR /> <BR />To my knowledge, the report was made available about a week ago. It is important that we look at it in great detail and do not jump to conclusions until we have had time to carefully consider it, as we would do for any proposal of that scale. It would be irresponsible to take a position on it at this early stage before properly looking at it, looking at the resources available to us and, most importantly, looking at the impact on the people, the community and the local economy. From early sight of it, there are definitely positives, but a balanced view has to be taken, and that is what I am keen to do.”
“It has positive soundings and gives us something to look to for the future. However, as decision makers and legislators, we have to be cognisant of the pressures that are already on services across the North. I am happy to speak to my counterparts in the South to see what their thoughts are on it and what that may look like in the future.”
“I thank my constituency colleague for his kind words. We reflected on the incredible Mickey Brady earlier today. That is testament to the person he was. <BR /> <BR />I have said that we need to take the time to properly scrutinise the report that the Member referenced and ensure that we understand what exactly is being proposed and what that would look like in reality. The report is worth exploring. We will look at it in the round, as we would any report. We are aware of the infrastructure challenges, but we also need to recognise the challenges across all our public services. We have to consider the fact that, if it is not properly resourced, an influx of 6,000 new houses could put further strain on services. There is a lot to consider before coming to any conclusion on the report.”
“Whilst I want to see the project delivered at the earliest possible stage, it is critical that we consider the outcome of the appeal before taking the next steps.”
“We have to await the Court of Appeal's ruling, because it is important that we consider it fully when looking at the next steps for all major roads projects, because we do not want to be in a scenario where we face challenges on everything.”
“The A1 junctions phase 2 project will deliver enhanced safety measures along 25 kilometres of the A1 between Loughbrickland and Hillsborough, costing in the region of £120 million to £130 million. It will include the closing up of all gaps in the central median and the provision of a number of new grade-separated junctions. The scheme was confirmed by my predecessor as a single package of works on 2 July 2024, and a restricted list was notified to tenderers on 9 May 2025. That list will remain live until 5 February this year. <BR /> <BR />Since the judgement on the A5 project and the Department's appeal, I have taken time to carefully consider the implications of that and the potential impact on other projects as they move through the next stages of their delivery. That includes the A1 junctions phase 2 project.”
“That will help to speed up the process for applicants and ensure that more senior planners can get on with the work that they need to do.”
“I thank the Member for that question, because it is an opportunity to reflect on the work that we have been doing through the planning improvement programme. We do that work for all those reasons. You and I are former councillors, so we have been there from the early days of the devolution of planning to councils. It has been a journey, to say the least, as people have come to understand and deliver planning in council areas. <BR /> <BR />The planning improvement work set out to identify the key areas of challenge, where there are commonalities and how to share good practice on what does and does not work well in some council areas and how that can work together. That work has been ongoing. We are also targeting efficiency, as I mentioned, through the new validation checklist and by introducing trainee planners.”
“It also explored current issues in development management and local development plan making, including key areas of delay, potential improvements and lessons learned. Sessions sought the experiences of the business, environment and housing sectors in relation to barriers in the planning system and potential improvements to service delivery from a legislative, procedural and administrative perspective. As I have said in answer to previous questions from Members, that underpins a lot of the work that the Department has been doing to address and recognise key issues in our planning system.”
“The work of the commission contributes to the planning improvement agenda by providing independent evidence-based insight to inform the overall direction and delivery of planning improvement measures and initiatives. By bringing together cross-sectoral expertise and a comprehensive programme of engagement, the commission can ensure that the agenda is informed by real-world experience and stakeholder perspectives. Its evidence-led approach will ensure that current and future improvement actions and initiatives align with its overarching aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning system for all. <BR /> <BR />The commission explored a range of topics, including best-practice planning in other jurisdictions across England, Scotland and Wales and particular differences and planning improvements in each system.”
“As the Member said, it was November 2025, which is just a few weeks ago. It is important that we properly consider and scrutinise the report before coming to our conclusions. I intend to publish it at the earliest possible stage. It is an important piece of work, and I want to see what has come out of the report in order to maximise its impact and inform the next steps.”
“The interim Regional Planning Commission has concluded its work programme. It submitted its report to me in November 2025. The report, which is titled, 'The Next Decade: A Framework for Change in the NI Planning System', summarises the work undertaken by the commission as part of the agreed work programme since February 2023. It also suggests a 10-year vision for planning in the North, including eight key recommendations to support that vision. <BR />7 <BR />My officials and I are undertaking a detailed review of the report. A formal response will be published in due course, outlining my consideration of the report in the context of its original aims and objectives and the wider planning improvement agenda.”
“As I have said, we need to make that case strongly and unitedly to the British Government, because they know it — they stated it clearly when the Assembly was restored in 2024. It is important to remember that every decision that is taken has a consequence for another Minister. How do we share that collectively? How do we work together to make the most of what we have and get the best outcomes with the Budget amount that has been given to us?”
“I do not agree that there has been little or no action. I have outlined some of the actions that have been taken even in the past number of months. However, I recognise that we still have a huge amount of work to do, and we will continue to drive forward with that. <BR /> <BR />On the draft Budget, no Minister around the Executive table could be happy with the allocations that have been put forward. However, there is only a small pie, and it can only go so far. If I were to reject it and say, "I'm not happy with it. We can't move forward", who would face the consequences? We all have a responsibility to deliver public services for the people across the North. We have to continue to work together: that is the key.”
“People here are taxpayers, and they are as entitled to good services and good investment as anyone else across these islands is. We will continue to make that case to the British Treasury to ensure that they understand the impact of decisions that have been taken over many years.”
“I have said on a number of occasions in the House that I will not introduce water charges. That is not done just for the sake of saying, "I'm not doing it". We all recognise that we have to look at things to see how we can maximise the Budget and do what we can to get proper investment in our services. However, in reality, why should the people across the North pay the price for years upon years of underinvestment by successive British Governments? People have said that that is a sound bite or an excuse. It is absolutely not an excuse; it is a reality. I will not stop reminding people of that, because it is important. We cannot give cover to a failure to deliver a Budget amount that meets the needs of people here.”