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.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,530 lines we hold for Liz Kimmins, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 19 of 51.
“I was talking this morning about the estate that I am from: Barcroft in Newry. When I was growing up, I remember there being one car per house or maybe even one car per every two houses in that estate. When I pick up my kids in the evenings, I see that there are now perhaps three cars per house; you cannot get parked in that very small council estate. Society has changed drastically since a lot of the transport planning and local development plans for access to towns and cities across the North were originally done. We have to ask whether we should continue to build more roads to adapt to the ever-increasing number of cars, or whether we should provide people with options to enable them to get out of their cars and travel differently. There is a lot to work on in that regard.”
“If I can come back on some key issues or we can arrange site meetings, I am happy to do that through you, Michelle. I want the message from here to be this: I hear you. I am listening to the issues, and I am keen to find solutions and see how we can improve things. It might not be what we think at the outset, but the Department is looking at lots of things consistently not just for Newtownards but across the board in all our transport planning and how we have to adapt to the future.”
“Miss McIlveen mentioned looking at things such as temporary traffic lights and other options, particularly at the roundabouts. I can maybe look at that again with officials to see whether there are opportunities. Movilla Road is another one that I am not familiar with specifically. I am happy to look at it with regard to parking on either side of the road. I am due to see the business case on the Newtownards park-and-ride, potentially in spring 2026. Translink is working on that. Hopefully, by then, I will know more about that and will be able to give a further update on where that is. <BR /> <BR />I am generalising over a lot of things, but I am trying to remember some of the key points and what I can come back on. I am happy to take some of it away. There is a lot there that we need to look at.”
“Apologies if I have missed that, but we are reviewing speed limits overall. I am looking at that. I have raised the issue of national speed limits, particularly on roads that are near schools in our rural communities, for many years, as well as looking at permanent 20 mph zones in more urban areas as well. <BR /> <BR />I have made loads of notes here because many specific issues were raised. The bridge to Portaferry is not one that I am familiar with. There is obviously a difference of opinion on that, so we will leave that for another time. <BR /> <BR />It is really good to have a debate in this tone, where we are not saying, "These are all the problems. Go away and sort them". Members are putting forward suggestions for what could work and are saying, "Let us test it, look at it and see whether it is an option".”
“However, we have to ensure that, if we take steps to discourage the use of the private car, we have the options in place to enable people to make other choices, be it walking, wheeling, cycling or using our public transport. <BR /> <BR />We are constantly grappling with those competing priorities. I am an eternal optimist, however, and I believe that none of that is unachievable. Local input and knowledge is invaluable. It is key that my officials and I hear what the realities of that are for people who live with it every day and that we can look at solutions. We can potentially take that away and come back or meet on-site, as I have suggested, on the back of your request, Michelle. <BR /> <BR />With regard to some of the more specific points, Harry Harvey mentioned the national speed limit on a specific road.”
“That is an important opportunity for all the issues to be fed in and for us to try to identify solutions. The solutions do not relate purely to roads; it is about providing other options that mean that people do not have to use their cars, be that active travel or park-and-ride. I really welcome the positive feedback on the Newtownards park-and-ride. I appreciate that we need to get further information on the other one, I am happy to respond to Members in writing on that. It is also about public transport. I am having those conversations with officials all the time. We are ambitious about what we want to achieve with transport planning.”
“<BR /> <BR />Members have described clearly the impact of traffic congestion and how it can build up significantly in many of the areas that have been identified, particularly at peak times, whether it is in the morning, when people are going to and from work and school, or, likewise, in the evening. Ms Armstrong mentioned the importance of looking at some form of transport planning. That work is under way across all 11 councils, particularly in conjunction with the local development plans that councils are working on. My Department has the overarching transport strategy, for which the consultation closed at the end of September. We are also working on the transport plans for specific council areas, and Ards and North Down is one of those that are included.”
“As others have said, towns such as Newtownards may be thriving, but we need to ensure that we enable the conditions for them to continue to do so. There is no doubt that there are funding challenges. The Member who secured the debate has been a Minister and will understand that. At this point, as Ministers, we have to take decisions that prioritise road safety and other critical things. There are so many competing priorities. I am not using that as an excuse: it is fair to say that the majority of Members here will recognise that that is a reality. Their colleagues who sit round the Executive table face similar challenges. However, I will never shirk my responsibilities. I will continue to do what I have been doing, which is to work with people, other MLAs and communities to find solutions and do the best that we can with what we have.”
“I have asked officials to closely monitor many of the issues that you raised, but I am happy for a meeting to take place with you, Michelle, to look at that in greater detail. A huge number of suggestions, challenges and issues have been identified here today, and I do not intend to go through every one of them. It is important, however, that we hear them. It reflects how the community feels, how local businesses feel and the real challenges that they face. I imagine that, as Ms Armstrong outlined, the Christmas period will have an impact on congestion. <BR /> <BR />Investing in our roads is critical not only to ensuring the safe movement of people and goods but to allowing the growth or our economy, which is important.”
“I too thank Miss McIlveen for bringing the debate to the House. I thank all Members who contributed for their honesty. It is obvious that you are all working at the coalface in Newtownards. Although I live so far away from it, I worked in Newtownards for a while. I did my first social work placement there. Hearing of the town — the roads and the links in and out of it — has led to me reminisce. I often travelled that road from Comber to Newtownards. That was many years ago, but I am familiar with it, and that has been helpful in trying to get to grips with the issues that have been raised. <BR /> <BR />I have listened to the issues raised by representatives of the constituency, and I hear those concerns. Officials have looked at this in the past, but it is evident that there is a rationale for us to look at it again.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I would, however, argue that it would increase the numbers of people coming in to the towns, who will be paying for parking. I am not an accountant, but that is why we have to test it and get a real sense of the implications. <BR /> <BR />My commitment to Members today is that I absolutely hear what everyone has said. As I said, I have advocated strongly for a solution for many years, and I still hold that position. I recognise that we need to listen to traders and the wider community. We need to see what we can do to give people a leg up, essentially. We need to revitalise our town centres, bring people in and show them that we are open for business and that they do not need to go out of town. We need to bring our town centres back to life. I will keep Members updated as I progress through the options that I am looking at.”
“That is a good suggestion. It is something that we can take away. I am keen to have an initiative during the festive period, and I am working out what that would look like. We are restricted by the time frames and what can be done without legislation. If I am able to do so, I intend to take something forward that will allow us to test flexibility around parking. We need to see whether it will work. If it results in absolute chaos and the traders come back and say that it is not working, so be it. We have to find a way to test it. <BR /> <BR />The other side of that — I am sure that the Minister on the Benches opposite will empathise with me on this — is that, at a time when public funds are limited, it would take out revenue that we probably have accounted for. We have to balance that. We have figures on what the impact would be.”
“Traffic attendants are trained to identify the misuse of a blue badge, and they take enforcement measures where they are able to; in fact, there is a full-time traffic attendant in Belfast who deals specifically with the fraudulent use of blue badges. I recognise that it is difficult to challenge someone about that. However, if an individual is using it in place of the badge-owner, who is not with them, the owner's photograph is on the badge, so I imagine that that is the key to determining what is going on. <BR /> <BR />The new contract for the app started on 1 November. People can use it to buy time, rather than having the app running indefinitely and overpaying because they forget to switch it off. Hopefully, that will be beneficial, but there is a balance to be struck.”
“I have a lot to get through, and I want to finish, because I am tight for time. <BR /> <BR />I am acutely aware that we need to do something. I have some options to look at, and we are going back and forth on them. We will try to do something around the Christmas period if possible. It would obviously be something that does not require us to change legislation, because that is a lengthy process. It is important to reflect on why the charges came into place. There was a need for them, but we are now in a different space, and I recognise the need to review how beneficial they are. <BR /> <BR />I will reflect on some of the questions that were asked. Paul Givan raised the abuse of blue badges. I agree that it is difficult to police that.”
“For people in the likes of Lisburn and Newry, however, that is not always the case. <BR /> <BR />We do not want people to feel under pressure. Members can disagree with me on this point if they feel that it is wrong, but most people do not mind paying for parking. It is more about the pressure of having to rush back to your car if there is a £45 or, indeed, a £90 fine.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am acutely aware of the real concerns for businesses and traders at a time when they have suffered blow after blow, from being hit with COVID to the cost-of-living crisis and the growth of online shopping and out-of-town retail. That has all had an impact. I want to look at that, but I want to do so sensibly so that we can test it. I am looking at something that we could do over the festive period. <BR /> <BR />The point about the difference between Belfast and Lisburn and Newry is very pertinent. Belfast has the Glider and other public transport options, so, generally, people do not even want to travel in by car because they like that flexibility. There is good public transport, and we recently introduced late-night transport, so there are many more options.”
“No. I am not saying that anyone is saying that. <BR /> <BR />We need to look at how we can test the change. I am looking at that. I said that there were no plans because I do not have a plan at present. We are working through options because we want to find the best way of testing the change so that we can reflect in it the needs of businesses and shoppers and other people who want to come into our town centres. My office, like Mr McNulty's, is on one of the main streets in Newry. We get — Cathal will attest to this from the times that he comes in for meetings — a lot of people in our office who probably come straight from their car to see whether we can help them appeal a ticket. That has been happening for many years.”
“They did not. I did that myself. <BR /> <BR />I am not being facetious when I say that, when I commit to something, I absolutely commit to it. I listen to businesses and have been doing so for a long time. When I came into my post nine months ago, I asked for a meeting with officials at the first opportunity to look at the available options. It is not as straightforward as lifting the regulations tomorrow. There is a legislative process. I have gone back and forward — my officials will attest to this — to look at what we can do. We also have to strike a balance, and some Members have articulated that well today. I know from my conversations with businesses in recent weeks that they do not want a free-for-all either, because that is not conducive to keeping trade moving.”
“When you checked my quote, you should have checked your own.”
“— four years later, we have not seen that road map —”
“When I raised it with the Minister on one of many occasions, all of which are on the record, the Member said, in asking a supplementary question, that he welcomed the:”
“Our "Town centre first" approach has been strong across the North. We have to look at the changes that have occurred over the years. <BR /> <BR />My constituency colleague Mr McNulty was vociferous in his advocacy of the removal of parking charges or of one hour of free parking. I am delighted that he has been able to find the quotes, because, unlike some, I am consistent in what I say. Back in 2021, when I raised it with his colleague, the then SDLP Minister for Infrastructure, I asked for a trial of one hour of free parking in response to the ask from local businesses. That trial never came in the time that she was in post; in fact, I did not get the support of my constituency colleague for that demand. I will quote him.”
“<BR /> <BR />I tried to research how controlled parking zones came in. They were introduced in 2008 at the request of local businesses, because there was significant parking congestion at that time, particularly in Belfast, Lisburn and Newry. A consultation process took place, and other procedures had to be followed. Controlled parking zones were then introduced in an effort to support businesses. Up until the early 2010s, they worked well. Since then, however, we have seen dramatic changes in our town centres and in the ways in which people shop. We are now very much in a space in which people do not have the same incentives to go into our town centres. The nature of how we shop has changed, because we have moved online or to out-of-town options, which, given the busy lives that we all lead, can seem more attractive to many people.”
“I thank Robbie Butler for securing the Adjournment debate. It may come as a surprise to Members that I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak about car parking. I have raised the issue for many years. I work extremely closely with businesses, particularly those in my constituency, and I have done so consistently throughout my time not just as an MLA but as a councillor. I have also worked in the health centre in Lisburn, and I have told some of my Lagan Valley colleagues that I too have fallen foul of the wardens, having come out of my work as a social worker to find a lovely ticket on my windscreen. I have a note in front of me, but I will probably go way off it, because everything that has been said this evening is absolutely where my head is and where it has been for some time.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“The Member wrote to me recently about that. Perhaps he would like me to come back to him in writing, because I might not have time to fully answer his question. I feel as though I will be writing letters all week after today's sitting, but I appreciate that he has been raising that issue.”
“Once it comes to me, and I consider it, I will update Members accordingly.”
“Not at this stage, but we are looking at the issue. I think that the recent announcement about the next stage of the Cookstown bypass was about what will happen in the coming weeks. As I get more information, I am happy to keep the Member updated.”
“I am happy to consider that, Stewart. Thank you.”
“If the Member writes to me with the detail, I am happy to consider it. If it is something that is relevant to the Department, that is no problem.”
“The Member will appreciate — I know this from raising issues in my constituency over the years — that everything is prioritised on the basis of where the safety risk is higher. If it is a route that has a high volume of traffic, where it is difficult for people to cross the road, that route is probably more likely to be prioritised over somewhere where there is a lower volume of traffic. I completely take the point that the Member makes, however, about how we balance that against promoting active travel. Again, I am happy to speak about the criteria in more detail, which may answer some of her question. Alternatively, she may wish to put forward suggestions that we can consider in the time ahead.”
“I do not have the criteria in front of me. Members are asking very specific questions today. I would need to have the policy book in front of me in order to answer them. Every request or application for a pedestrian crossing is considered equally, however. There is a specific set of criteria to be met. Again, I am happy to respond to the Member in writing to outline the criteria more clearly. If there is a specific site that she is thinking of, we can look at it and give her more detail, including any previous responses. Alternatively, if it is something that needs to be looked at presently, I am happy to do so.”
“No problem. If you write to me to invite me, we can get that arranged.”
“Unfortunately, I do not have an update in front of me, Danny. If you write to me, I can give you a more detailed update. I will need to speak to officials to get the specifics.”
“As part of the ongoing work on the matter, we will look at all other jurisdictions to see what works well. Any approach that is taken must be evidence-based. We can see the benefits of some of the examples that we talked about, such as 20 mph zones, specifically in Wales. I am keen to see how we can use that evidence to ensure that we do more here. We are also looking at the penalties for drug-driving and for the use of mobile phones and such things. As the Member might know, a consultation recently opened on mobile phone use while driving. I appreciate the Member's comments. As I get more information, I will keep her updated.”
“Officials are considering options for a review of penalty fines for speeding. Once I receive that briefing and advice from officials, I will consider the next steps.”
“I convey my sympathies. Many of us in the House will have had that tragic experience, so I know how impactful it is on many people when someone loses their life, particularly in a road traffic collision. <BR /> <BR />As I outlined, road safety is an absolute priority for me as we work to reduce the number of road deaths. As I said in a previous answer, one death is one too many, and we have to do all that we can to reduce the number of such deaths. I also think about people who get serious injuries. Whilst they may not have been in a fatal collision, the impact of that event will have been life-changing, and we have to be mindful of that. As I outlined, the Department is working on a number of interventions to improve road safety behaviour, including that of people who choose to speed.”
“I have not been aware of that specific issue, but, if the Member wants to write to the Department with more detail, I am happy to follow up on it with officials and with Translink.”
“As the Member will be aware, the pay award is Translink's responsibility. I have met union members in recent months on the issue. My message is that everyone is entitled to fair pay. It is crucial that Translink engages properly and proactively with the unions so that a fair and equitable pay award can be reached.”
“I am happy to look at that. I know that it can be very frustrating, particularly where there is a risk. I will add the caveat that resources are limited. I feel that that goes through every response that we give, but it is a reality. Sometimes we have to prioritise things that are within our remit over things that, essentially, are not our responsibility. However, I take on board what you said, and I am happy to speak to officials to see whether we can do any more on the matter.”
“I can give plenty of examples where that has been an issue. When such issues arise, people tend to contact us, as elected representatives, first. Routine inspections happen on a monthly, three-monthly and six-monthly basis depending on the road category. If there are specific locations where overgrown vegetation is a particular problem, I ask the Member to feed that information into the Department, if he has not done so already, and I will ask officials to look at it urgently, particularly if there is a potential risk to road users or pedestrians.”
“We are also looking at fitness to drive and other campaigns to try to ensure that we all, as citizens, are playing our part to ensure that everyone on the road can be kept as safe as possible. As I receive further information and updates on that review, I will be happy to keep the Member updated.”
“I completely agree with the Member about driver behaviour. It accounts for 95% of all road collisions. That is a fact, and I have been doing quite a lot of work and have had a lot of engagement with Road Safety NI and other organisations that are at the forefront of delivering that message. As well as looking at speed limits on our roads, I have been looking at road safety advertising, working with as many groups as possible and looking at vulnerable road users, who may be more at risk when out on the roads. The Member's colleague facilitated a meeting between me and the Motorcycle Action Group in recent months. That is another example of a vulnerable road user group that we need to be cognisant of.”
“It is something that we need to look at when considering how we can make our roads safer for everyone.”
“I am very sorry to hear about the experience of the Member in his constituency. Every life lost is one too many, particularly on our roads. I have been very vocal with my views on how we can collectively do more to ensure that our roads are safer, and that involves a whole range of things. However, since coming into post, as the Member will know from the recent tranche of 20 mph zones outside schools, which I know is not specific to what the Member is raising, my focus has been on rural roads because I recognise that most rural roads have 60 mph limits, which, in my view, are too high for some of the roads that people are navigating. As part of a wider review, I have already set out to look at the national speed limit roads right across the North for the reasons that the Member has outlined.”
“To clarify, the 400 is for now, but it is unlocking capacity over the next 10 years. The original plan from NI Water was costed at £107 million. For £26 million, it has been able to unlock capacity for the next 10 years. That is what NI Water told me and what the announcement was based on. You can read the press statement that it delivered. However, I am not immune to the issues that the Member has raised. It is why I have been working with NI Water to find solutions, and I will continue to do so.”
“Those were NI Water's words. I am just reiterating what it said, and, as part of that announcement, it said that it would look at 400 properties.”
“As I have said, I am due to make an announcement on that, which will hopefully detail what steps are to be taken next.”
“<BR /> <BR />Following the publication of the review, there has been a significant level of interest in the establishment of residents' parking zones across the North. Given the level of demand and ongoing budgetary and resource constraints, I have asked my officials to develop an application process for demand-led schemes and an assessment process for all potential residents' parking schemes to ensure that any requests can be appropriately considered. That process will take into account the findings and recommendations of the review and provide a streamlined approach for considering, assessing and prioritising requests. I am considering officials' recommendations on this, and I intend to make an announcement imminently on how future schemes will be assessed by my Department.”