Question Time: Infrastructure Monday 22 March 2021

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon answers Members questions on 22 March 2021. Read the Official Report (Hansard) – https://lk.nia.fyi/443i

Each of the questions answered have been chaptered in the video to help you find them more easily.

Chapters / Questions

00:00 – Union Connectivity Review

1. Mr Allister asked the Minister for Infrastructure to outline the assessment she had made of the Union connectivity review proposals before engaging in public comment. (AQO 1790/17-22)

2. Mr Easton asked the Minister for Infrastructure for her assessment of the proposed bridge or tunnel linking Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom. (AQO 1791/17-22)

10. Mrs D Kelly asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on her meetings with the British Government on the Union connectivity review. (AQO 1799/17-22)


11:16 – Vehicle and Driver Testing

3. Mr Stewart asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on the restart of vehicle and driver testing at Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) centres. (AQO 1792/17-22)

15. Dr Archibald asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on measures she is taking to address the backlog in driving tests. (AQO 1804/17-22)


18:02 – Roads Network: Funding Bids

4. Mr Givan asked the Minister for Infrastructure to outline any bids for additional funding for the roads network made in the various monitoring rounds in the past year. (AQO 1793/17-22)


23:22 – Sewerage and Water Infrastructure: Dundonald

5. Mr Newton asked the Minister for Infrastructure what investment is planned by her Department to develop the sewerage and water infrastructure in the rural areas around Dundonald village. (AQO 1794/17-22)


Topical Questions


29:24 – Active Travel: Update

T1. Mr Blair asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on active travel plans and how grants to improve cycling and walking routes are being rolled out and utilised. (AQT 1141/17-22)


31:39 – Pedestrianisation and Active Travel: Derry

T2. Ms McLaughlin asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on the plans for pedestrianisation and active travel in Derry city centre. (AQT 1142/17-22)


34:14 – Casement Park: Update

T3. Mr Sheehan asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on the Casement Park development. (AQT 1143/17-22)


36:45 – Road Safety: Derry

T4. Ms Mullan asked the Minister for Infrastructure, having written to her about road safety at the junction of Northland Road and Rock Road at the Magee campus of Ulster University, where there have been several serious collisions and, unfortunately, last year, a young man lost his life, whether she will undertake a review of the location with a view to introducing additional protections for road users and pedestrians. (AQT 1144/17-22)


38:36 – Strathfoyle and Maydown, Derry

T5. Mr Durkan asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on the work taking place in the long-neglected Strathfoyle and Maydown area of Derry, where, for the past few weeks, contractors have been busy. (AQT 1145/17-22)


41:21 – Resource Budget Priorities

T6. Mr Muir asked the Minister for Infrastructure, given that she will be aware of her rather disappointing draft resource budget settlement for the next financial year, albeit it is for her to decide how to cut that cake, whether she will give a commitment to rebalance her investment towards active travel, given that, in a recent answer, she stated that although 1,400 staff are employed by DFI Roads, only 33·5 are employed in transport policy division. (AQT 1146/17-22)