Peter McReynolds
East Belfast · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I start by sharing my condolences and those of my party colleagues to the family of Kourtney McCormick on her tragic passing. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the important next step in the introduction of the graduated driver licensing scheme as Alliance spokesperson for Infrastructure, a Policing Board member and chair of the all-party group on r…”
“<BR /> <BR />I commend those from the driving instructor industry, the DVA and those in the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership for all their work in preparing for the smooth introduction of the GDL measures. They have been proactive and thorough in ensuring that they understand what is expected of them to make GDL a success story.”
“We have already had 33 road deaths this year alone, and more than 150 since 2024. It is clear that more needs to be done to improve road safety.”
“The revised restrictions will include a mandatory minimum learning period of six months; a programme of training; a logbook; passenger restrictions; new R-plates; the extension of the post-test period to 24 months; and removal of the 45 mph speed limit on motorways.”
“First Minister, the Institute of Directors and the Construction Employers Federation are still calling for the establishment of an independent, expert-led infrastructure commission some five years after it appeared on page 27 of the previous Executive's COVID recovery plan, to which you were a co-signatory.”
“<BR /> <BR />East Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole have huge potential for aviation development, and the master plan is just one part of a larger move towards sustainable and environmentally friendly travel.”
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“<BR /> <BR />Another recurring issue is that of those who are unable to get an appointment. Unable, therefore, to renew their car tax, subsequently, they are being unfairly fined. I fully appreciate that that is the responsibility of the DVLA, but perhaps the Minister could tell us what he and his officials are doing to make the case to it to reiterate our different circumstances here and the challenges that many have been facing. <BR /> <BR />Another key issue that has been brought to my attention in the past few days specifically on this issue is the date of the renewal letters, as we have heard today. Perhaps the letters could be issued sooner so that people can be better prepared.”
“That has led to concern and anxiety for individuals and families who rely on their car for living and working in our communities, as the proposer noted in the motion. It has also led to completely unnecessary and lengthy car journeys in the face of increased congestion and cars on our roads. Just yesterday, for example, a friend messaged to say that he was booking his annual MOT but there were no appointments in any of our centres across Northern Ireland. They joked how they were considering a ferry to Stranraer. I heard a lot of that over the weekend. Another example was of someone living in Ballyclare being able to obtain one at New Buildings. Another had to cancel their appointment due to illness but was then required to drive an hour from where they lived to get a last-minute appointment.”
“I welcome today's motion. Similar to other Members, I start my remarks by putting on record my gratitude to DVA staff, who have consistently gone above and beyond during periods of significant disruption and rising demand. As we have just heard, 1·15 million MOTs were carried out in the past year, which is a 25% increase on the year before and the most on record. I commend the commitment and dedication of our staff across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Today's motion is important and welcome. Like all Members here, my inbox and social media have been flooded with messages and emails of concern and frustration about how difficult it has been to get access to a reasonable and timely appointment for vehicle testing.”
“Does the Member agree with me and my constituency colleague Ms Bunting that the potential closure of the Belfast Met's Castlereagh campus, combined with the ongoing redundancy schemes, is misguided, given that no Economy Minister was in post during that time? Does she share my view that the Minister must engage proactively to find a solution that keeps the campus open?”
“In other parts of these islands, some people who live with disabilities can travel for free on some public transport. In Northern Ireland, doing so is a lot more limited. Will the Minister consider extending the concessionary fares scheme from half fare to free travel for those who live with disabilities and mobility issues?”
“Historically, infrastructure planning has suffered from our inconsistent politics, which ensures that the vision and ambition of potentially transformative projects are rarely delivered on. We can no longer afford to let stop-start politics limit our efforts to move towards a low-emission transport network to mitigate the impacts of climate change. <BR /> <BR />Alliance is happy to support the motion and the amendment. The plans, as we know, are ambitious and significant in cost. The more contributors who are willing to dig deep to fund them, the better.”
“That is a step backwards during a climate crisis and when there is a requirement to move towards low-carbon mobility. <BR /> <BR />This is an acknowledgement of the threat that climate change brings to our transport network, as was mentioned by Mr Stewart. Sustained increases in temperature, as well as heavy rainfall, test the resilience of roads, bridges and our rail network by damaging their structural integrity. Yet, there is no strategy for adapting transport infrastructure to a changing climate. It is, therefore, crucial that we start to invest in other modes of transport for the climate benefit but also to relieve the pressure on the current network. <BR /> <BR />As we head towards 2030, green infrastructure that facilitates sustainable connectivity between major cities and regions across the island must be a priority.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I absolutely agree: when I was reading through the proposal yesterday, I noted the significant impact that it would have on the City Airport in East Belfast as well. <BR /> <BR />Better-connected cities and towns by rail is precisely the type of policy that the Assembly should advocate in order to promote a modal shift in how people move and decarbonise the transport sector, which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the United Kingdom. In previous years, the expansion of the public transport network has been in line with population growth. The inadequacy of investment over the last decade means that commuters are less likely to use public transport than they were 10 years earlier.”
“That is where an improved and enhanced rail offering comes in. Rail has no appeal as an option when end-to-end journey times are faster, more reliable and more cost-effective by car. The delivery of an all-Ireland rail network could see rail passenger numbers double: nearly three quarters of a million people would live within 5 kilometres of a railway station, and some journey times between towns and cities could be halved.”
“Before preparing my thoughts and speech ahead of today and to allude to what Mr Durkan said, I looked at graphics of our existing network to compare them with what the all-island rail network seeks to achieve over the next few decades. As someone who has lived in France, I find Northern Ireland's lack of rail in comparison with that of many European countries nothing short of a disgrace in 2024. It needs to change. <BR /> <BR />If we continue to build and maintain a system that favours car usage, the cycle of car dominance will just continue, as is shown by the number of young drivers on our roads, which has not diminished but rather almost doubled over the past 10 years. We will not break the monopoly on private car use, because there are limited options for travel that suit the needs of our citizens.”
“<BR /> <BR />Transportation is essential for the social, economic and environmental well-being of Northern Ireland, and it is essential that we take steps to transform public transport networks by investing in our existing rail assets and delivering more connections. We are, sadly, well known for our reliance on private car usage and our poor road network, with 70% of all journeys and 87% of journeys of over 1 mile being made by car. Transportation here is tailored to car usage, and that is reflected in the length of our public road network, which is over 25,000 kilometres, compared with 350 kilometres for our rail network.”
“— and I always hear complaints about rail infrastructure and public transport when I make the journey to the north-west. As Alliance Party infrastructure spokesperson, I have called for the Assembly to start thinking progressively about our infrastructure and about how sustained investment in our public transport network can improve our connectivity, stimulate economic growth and tackle the all-too-real climate emergency. <BR /> <BR />A new, greatly enhanced and ambitious rail network carries significant benefits not just for communities across the island but for our shared environment. A key commitment under the New Decade, New Approach agreement, the all-island rail review reflects the strategic objective to mitigate the impacts of climate change, which have been and should continue to be a priority in the Assembly.”
“I welcome today's motion on the all-island rail network, and I thank the proposer for tabling it. Although I am an MLA for East Belfast, I had the great sense and wisdom, as my wife regularly tells me, to marry someone from Strabane —”
“Education and skills are essential parts of facilitating the 10X strategy. A public consultation has recently ended on the potential closure of the Castlereagh Belfast Metropolitan campus, which is in my constituency of East Belfast. Will the Minister commit to meeting the management of Belfast Metropolitan College in order to discuss the challenges that it faces and any assistance that his Department can give?”
“I was working on this when these institutions' hands were tied through the lack of a Minister, but Northern Ireland is now in a better place. I call on the Minister of Health to do what he can to make Palforzia more widely available for the families and children who so desperately need it.”
“The reason that I raise the issue in the Chamber today, however, is that children in Northern Ireland living with nut allergies are missing out when compared with children in the rest of the UK and many other children across the globe, as Palforzia is regarded as being too resource-intensive to distribute fully here; instead, it is distributed on a case-by-case basis by consultants. That is done despite parents' rightful concerns, the evidence confirming Palforzia's efficacy, the support that I have seen in the medical sector and from consultants, and the acknowledgement that I had from permanent secretaries during the most recent Assembly collapse. <BR /> <BR />Everyone knows about Palforzia and that it works. They know the benefits that it brings and that its full introduction is needed in Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />I was shocked to learn than one in 50 children in the UK live with a nut allergy. In 2021, NHS England approved access to the drug. In Northern Ireland, it has been approved since February 2022. The Belfast Trust has committed to introducing Palforzia as it knows that it will help to reduce risk further down the line.”
“I rise to speak on a medical treatment that, I am sure, some Members may already be aware of: Palforzia. It was brought to my attention a few years ago by Tierna Byrne, a mother from East Belfast who was concerned about the impact that lack of access to the drug could have on the future of her now five-year-old son, Matthew, who, sadly, lives with a severe peanut allergy. In her initial email to me, she described the fear and worry that she and her husband live with daily; how her son has experienced swollen eyes and lips or his face covered in blotches; how he has been hospitalised due to anaphylactic shock; and her heartbreak that he has had to grow up a lot faster than his classmates by having to immediately tell new people that he cannot eat nuts.”
“Understandably, resource pressures have overshadowed such projects, but it is essential that the Committee make sure that it is able to proceed and that we do not look back at the opportunities that could have been. The Alliance Party wants to see a radical improvement in our infrastructure in order to prepare Northern Ireland for the future. We want to modernise it by targeting spending to maximise social and economic benefits and by taking a responsible, long-term approach towards it. This Budget eases short-term pressure on the Department, and we look forward to supporting the work of the Minister and the Committee to deliver enhanced infrastructure across Northern Ireland.”
“Working with Northern Ireland Water to ensure that it has the necessary funds to deliver water to our homes, and is able to make long-term strategic decisions in doing so, will save money in the long run that can be refocused further down the line. By working with Translink to ensure that our public transport offering is fit for purpose in the 21st century, there are huge opportunities, through the new Belfast transport hub, to reimagine Belfast city centre as a vibrant space to welcome visitors to Northern Ireland and to allow our citizens to move around it with ease. <BR /> <BR />Finally, we as a party have significant and grave concerns for capital funding.”
“<BR /> <BR />In addition, I agree that we need to be able to scrutinise, but we also have to support the Minister for Infrastructure and his Department to be creative in their use of funds and to ensure that new ways of thinking are deployed to make money go further than before, as well as to support them to be able to invest more money in the short term in order to deliver more in future. <BR /> <BR />There are ideas that will ease budgetary pressures in the long run, such as improving our active travel offering, thus increasing the ease with which it is possible to move around without having immediately to resort to private car use, reducing congestion, improving connectivity in our communities, improving public health and making local areas safer.”
“I have heard about the significant budgetary pressures that his Department has faced, from staff vacancies to facilitating essential projects to maintaining current levels of service standards. <BR /> <BR />Today's Budget Bill is welcome, and we support the reason for its being brought forward unusually fast, as my colleagues have acknowledged. I will refer in my remarks to what it achieves within the broad remit of the Department for Infrastructure. The Bill demonstrates why we now need a sustained and recurring Government in place in Northern Ireland to deliver the budgetary support and security that the Department for Infrastructure requires.”
“As the penultimate Member to speak this evening, at this late hour, I congratulate the Finance Minister on her new role and recognise her endurance. I thank her and the Infrastructure Committee Chair for their contributions. <BR /> <BR />It is fair to say that last week was challenging, with key issues already to the forefront in the Chamber, Committees having reassembled and Chairs having recovered, hopefully, after reading out what felt like hours of statutory rules to us. Since becoming infrastructure spokesperson for the Alliance Party, I have been fortunate to attend regular briefings with the permanent secretary, Denis McMahon, over the past year.”
“I thank the Minister for his encouraging response. Belfast City Council is finally increasing the number of homes that receive household glass recycling in Belfast. Can the Minister confirm that he will commit to working with councils across Northern Ireland to improve their recycling rates?”
“I look forward to working towards the rescue and improvement of Lough Neagh on a cross-departmental basis.”
“Part of the solution to protect Lough Neagh, as well as every other water course in Northern Ireland, is to make sure that Northern Ireland Water is able to contribute towards ensuring the long-term health of our waterways. <BR /> <BR />Lastly, and touching on the remarks from the Member who spoke prior to me, on one of my recent rare journeys outside East Belfast, I was fortunate to be shown the sheer scale of the operation to deliver safe, clean drinking water at a water treatment plant just outside Carrickfergus. I encourage Members to call out and engage with the water treatment plants near them and see how that is done for themselves. <BR /> <BR />I am delighted that this motion has appeared so early for debate in the Chamber. I support the motion and, of course, the amendment.”
“Those capacity challenges, coupled with chronic underinvestment, are contributing to environmentally damaging overspills. Unfortunately, our struggling waste water infrastructure ensures that sewer flooding and pollution into water courses is a regular occurrence. <BR /> <BR />The regrettable and unintended consequence of historically not investing enough in enhancing this vital infrastructure is that it leads to our polluted rivers and harms biodiversity. The intensification of demand on a struggling system has exacerbated inadequate environmental protections because the infrastructure was not built to separate rainwater run-off and sewage at source.”
“Contamination does not just occur from agricultural run-off, as we have heard. As my colleague Mr Blair advised in his opening remarks, 24% of contamination is due to untreated sewage effluent, which regularly overflows into our watercourses. Our rapidly changing climate is also seeing increased frequencies of extreme rainfall, which forces that raw untreated sewage into watercourses via combined sewer overflow pipes. <BR /> <BR />We cannot fully safeguard strategic environmental assets such as Lough Neagh with a waste water system that has barely been updated since it was built. We are at a crisis point with waste water and sewage infrastructure in Northern Ireland. In over 100 areas across the region, waste water infrastructure capacity is either full or near full.”
“Significant declines have also been reported in the quality of rivers, lakes and coastal waters here in Northern Ireland.”
“A number of charities and environmental groups were crucial in highlighting what was happening — the problems facing the lough — with Friends of the Earth hosting a cross-party round-table discussion in the MAC in Belfast city centre. Groups such as the Lough Neagh Partnership, RSPB, Northern Ireland Environment Link and Ulster Wildlife played crucial roles in capturing the mood of the population as pictures and videos became more frequent on our screens. I thank them for acting as swiftly and as passionately as they did. <BR /> <BR />I take this opportunity to remind Members that repeated patterns of algae blooms were found in several locations across Northern Ireland. That is consistent with the assessment that, unfortunately, none of our waterways is considered to be in good health.”
“Following yesterday's important motions on childcare and planning reform and today's debate on a women's health strategy, it is good to see that the crisis at Lough Neagh is also high on the agenda of the Assembly. I thank Mr McGuigan for tabling the motion. I echo many of the sentiments articulated by Members, with the rescue and protection of the lough being essential for public health, a thriving economy and wider society. I quickly learned from my colleague Ms Armstrong yesterday that, as I am speaking after my colleagues, I will try not to repeat the previously mentioned arguments. <BR /> <BR />In my experience, I was fortunate to be able to attend some of the cross-departmental briefings last year as the crisis emerged and MLAs heard what could and would need to be done to address what quickly became a global news story.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is clear that the planning system needs to be reformed, but not at the expense of the environment or biodiversity. Accuracy and attention to detail are required if we are to overhaul this complicated but important system. I look forward to working on that as a matter of urgency.”
“On average, it takes more than three years for a wind farm application to be determined, with data in July 2023 showing 125 applications for wind and solar farms as pending, the earliest of which was submitted in November 2012. As my predecessor would say, that is a farce. Moreover, reform and better resourcing of the Planning Appeals Commission will be essential in helping us to address an outrageous number of backlogged applications, which the proposer of the motion referred to in her speech. We hope that the outrageous number of backlogged applications plays a key role in any future reform of the planning system. These are highly important areas that are well known for requiring attention. I am sure that we will hear a number of others during the debate, and I look forward to addressing them during the remainder of the mandate.”
“While we are content to support the motion and the principle behind it, we do not support the articulation of it in this motion. That is why we had tabled an amendment that would have addressed the inclusion of the Strategic Investment Board, which is the responsibility of the Executive Office and not accountable to DFI, and highlighted the essential role that planning improvement would play in addressing the climate emergency through addressing the significant gaps that are a barrier towards helping us to meet our net-zero targets. <BR /> <BR />Currently, our planning system is a key reason why 82% of renewable developers do not see Northern Ireland as an attractive place to invest.”
“As someone who sits on that Committee, I look forward to delivering on the multiple recommendations and reports that have been written about what needs to be done over the past number of months and years. On that note, I extend my gratitude to the Audit Office, the Northern Ireland Chamber, the previous Public Accounts Committee, the Department for Infrastructure and RenewableNI. I am sure that many more conducted reviews or made recommendations on what changes are necessary. <BR /> <BR />We all know that our planning system needs to be addressed urgently to deliver on the potential that Northern Ireland has, and that it is linked to delivering improved standards of living through an improved economy, employment and opportunity for everyone. Key within that will be, first, balance, but also diligence.”
“<BR /> <BR />However, here I am, and I am honoured to have had the Alliance values that I share with my colleagues beside me and the work ethic, for which I think I am recognised by the people of East Belfast, acknowledged in the May 2022 election, and to now have the opportunity to build upon the hard work of my predecessor, Chris Lyttle. Longer-standing Members will know that Chris served East Belfast for 12 years as its MLA, was well known for asking questions that few had thought of and was diligent in his approach to all aspects of public life. If I can hit even half the height that he ascended to — wow, I will be doing well. <BR /> <BR />Turning to the motion, planning reform must be high on the agenda of the Assembly, the returning Minister for Infrastructure and the Committee for Infrastructure.”
“So, mum and dad, apologies for this. <BR /> <BR />I remember the first time that I visited Parliament Buildings, as a human rights law postgraduate, over a decade ago. If someone had told me then that I would one day have to give up my dream of living in and gallivanting around France on account of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis but would then receive the honour of representing the people of Ormiston as their local councillor for five years, become a deputy lord mayor for the city I love and become an East Belfast MLA, I would have responded by asking whether they were feeling ok.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Before I commence, I congratulate the Member on becoming Chair of the Infrastructure Committee. I look forward to working with her. <BR /> <BR />I take this opportunity to put on record my thanks to all staff in this Building who have made us all feel so welcome since the election in 2022 and the subsequent restoration of the Assembly. It truly is fantastic to see a buzz and energy about this place again, and I look forward to contributing to Assembly business in the Chamber. Before I begin the customary pleasantries, I would like to note that my parents are watching online. I think that it is the first time that they have ever done so, but I did not mention that it was a debate about planning legislation reform that I would be speaking in.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I congratulate him on his new role, and I look forward to working with him over the mandate. <BR /> <BR />Some of the most vulnerable road users are pedestrians and cyclists, as is highlighted in the active travel strategy. Can you confirm how the investment will prioritise those vulnerable road users?”
“Those conversations took place in the Long Gallery upstairs; the Chamber was silent and empty. <BR /> <BR />Stormont cannot fix everything that is wrong in the world today. It cannot address all the issues that we have been hearing about, but it can at least show that we care about the people who elect us and will make the necessary changes to improve their lives. That starts today with getting the Assembly and Executive functioning as they should. I support the election of a Speaker today; I support devolution; and I support MLAs carrying out the roles to which they were elected. I plead with the DUP and former DUP councillors from Belfast City Council: for the sake of the people of Northern Ireland, nominate a Speaker, get this place up and running again, and get back to work.”
“They did not elect us to go to lunches and launches in this place. We were elected to legislate and improve the lives of everyone in Northern Ireland — not just those who voted for us or agree with us but everyone — through the formation of the Assembly and an Executive; to turn up for them every day; to listen to the key workers whom we all used to clap for during the pandemic; and to make the realities that they see every day easier. <BR /> <BR />There are stories such as those that we heard from Dr Julie Anne Maney, who spoke of having to treat children, patch them up and send them back to the environment that made them ill in the first place, and from Andy McClenaghan, who broke down as he spoke about what he sees and hears from social workers in his organisation.”
“What kind of society are we allowing to exist outside these walls in 2022? Food banks should not have to exist — we know that — but it is especially hard for me to stomach when some politicians sit on their hands while volunteers put their shoulder to the wheel to help the most vulnerable in our society. <BR /> <BR />At the same time as all of that, I see and hear how the people of Northern Ireland are being used as so-called leverage, and I have heard that screamed across the Chamber today. They have been misinformed by a party in the Chamber that professes to care about Northern Ireland, them and their lives. No one can tell me whom the collapse of the Assembly benefits, that it is a constructive negotiating tactic in talks between the UK and the EU or that it benefits the communities across Northern Ireland that put us here.”
“Children in the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland are six times more likely to be placed on a child protection register and four times more likely to be taken into care. <BR /> <BR />One food bank user recently wrote on their social media:”
“So, it is unthinkable and unconscionable that we are here today during a cost-of-living crisis and a climate emergency, after a two-year global pandemic and as we face a winter that many will struggle to get through, looking at an indulgent election to the tune of £6·5 million at a time when many people and families across Northern Ireland are suffering, because they face the choice of heating their home or skipping a meal. <BR /> <BR />A food bank worker in my constituency told me recently about someone arriving at their door desperate for food. They were brought to tears when offered chilled foods in the package that they were provided with, because they were ashamed to admit that they could not afford the electricity to turn on their fridge at home.”
“I rise with a mixture of pride and anger to speak in support of nominating a Speaker today. Unfortunately, over the last six months, I have spent more time in the Chamber with primary- and secondary-school children than I have with MLAs. I have not been able to discuss legislation; I have not been able to scrutinise Ministers; and I certainly have not been able to raise issues on behalf of my constituents on the Floor. <BR /> <BR />Like many here, I was a councillor for five years before becoming an MLA, and I was proud to stand for election for the Alliance Party in East Belfast just six months ago. I built up a solid reputation as someone who just got on with things and delivered for his constituents, doing the job that I was elected to do: no drama, no rhetoric, no time-wasting.”