Committee for Infrastructure

Minutes of Proceedings - 12 November 2025

Committee for Infrastructure - 12 November 2025.pdf (199.25 kb)

Meeting Location: Room 29, Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast

 

Present:

Mr Peter Martin MLA (Chairperson)

Mr John Stewart MLA (Deputy Chairperson)

Mr Cathal Boylan MLA

Mr Stephen Dunne MLA

Mr Harry Harvey MLA

Mr Andrew McMurray MLA

Mr Justin McNulty MLA

 

Apologies:

Ms Nicola Brogan MLA

Mr Peter McReynolds MLA

 

In Attendance:

Mr Michael Potter (Assembly Clerk)

Ms Aoife Keating-Fitzpatrick (Senior Assistant Clerk)

Mr Philip Pateman (Assistant Assembly Clerk)

Mr Jonathan Lawless (Clerical Supervisor)

Mr Oliver Briant (Clerical Officer)

 

The meeting commenced at 10:02 am.

 

1. Apologies

As above.

 

2. Declaration of Interests

None.

 

3. Chairperson's Business

The Chairperson highlighted to Members both his, and Mr McMurray's, recent media appearance on Radio Ulster to discuss matters relating to drains and gullies in their capacities as members of their parties.

Mr Cathal Boylan joined the meeting at 10:06 am.

Mr Justin McNulty joined the meeting at 10:09 am.

Agreed: To write to the Department for Infrastructure to seek detail on:

  • where responsibility lies between councils and the Department for managing fallen leaves on pedestrian footpaths;
  • detail of any formal or informal agreements between the Department and councils in the management of leaves;
  • its assessment of the collaboration it undertakes with local councils to minimise the impact upon gullies to ensure that they are operating optimally; and
  • An overview, by council area, of the gullies that are known to be subject to regular flooding incidents, including what action is undertaken and the frequency of work undertaken by DfI to reduce the potential for flooding.

Agreed: To commission the Assembly's Research and Information Service (RaISe) to examine what arrangements exist amongst council areas to ensure a collaborative approach to the maintenance of gullies, including whether any of these have been formalised or undertaken on an informal basis.

 

4. Draft Minutes

Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 5 November 2025.

 

5. Matters Arising

The Committee noted a paper from the Clerk summarising the attendance of ministers at their relevant statutory committees.

The Committee noted a report by the House of Lords Select Committee on 'The Legislative Process: The Delegation of Powers' as referred to during its meeting on 5 November 2025.

The Committee noted a paper from the Clerk summarising the issues arising in the course of the briefing with the Examiner of Statutory Rules in respect of the Committee's scrutiny of the Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill.

 

6. Correspondence

Response from the Minister for Infrastructure to Committee correspondence regarding a billboard erected on land at the Egyptian Arch, Newry.

Agreed: To write to the Minister seeking a timeline detailing the Department's action in respect of the placement of the billboard at Egyptian Arch, Newry, including:

  • whether the billboard has been erected on DfI owned land;
  • whether the Minister has asked for it to be removed and detail of the plans she intends to take for its removal; and
  • what engagement, if any, was undertaken between the owner of the billboard and the Department and/or Translink given its proximity to the railway network and detail of the criteria used to determine any safety risks.

Response from the Minister for Infrastructure to Committee correspondence regarding the judgement in relation to the A5 Western Transport Corridor.

Agreed: To write to the Minister seeking the rationale or criteria surrounding the decision to not to draw down funding set aside for the A5 upgrade under the Shared Island fund.

Response from Minister for Finance to Committee correspondence regarding an October Monitoring Round and Multi-year Budgets.

Agreed: To schedule an evidence session from Departmental officials on the December Monitoring Round at its meeting on 3 December 2025.

The Committee noted the following items of correspondence:

  • Response from the Minister for Infrastructure to Committee correspondence requesting a table of resource and capital opening allocations for the 2024-25 financial year;
  • Response from the Minister for Infrastructure to Committee correspondence requesting detail of instructions that are issued by the DVA to members of the public containing guidance or an illustration of relevant processes when seeking to secure an MOT vehicle test;
  • Committee for Finance regarding the Review of Arms-Length Bodies;
  • Department for Finance laying the Department for Infrastructure's Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-2025;
  • Response from Northern Ireland Water on issues raised during oral evidence on tankering cost, network capacity and the availability of representatives to attend to provide oral evidence;
  • Items of correspondence from the Mineral Products Association Northern Ireland in respect of the announcement of the December monitoring round and its press release on the state of the road network;
  • Build Homes Northern Ireland response to Committee request for written evidence on the wastewater capacity issues in the building sector in Northern Ireland; and
  • Save the Moat - Save the Sperrins correspondence requesting immediate statutory and procedural action to protect public health and human rights from wind-turbine noise, including low-frequency and infrasound components that are not assessed under ETSU-R-97.

 

7. Developer Contributions for Wastewater Infrastructure Consultation - Department for Infrastructure - Oral Evidence

The following departmental officials joined the meeting at 10:54 am.

  • Ms Alison Clydesdale, Director of Water & Drainage Policy, Department for Infrastructure; and
  • Ms Kiera Lloyd, Director of Corporate Strategy and Performance, Department for Infrastructure.

The evidence session was reported by Hansard.

A question and answer session followed.

Mr John Stewart assumed the role of the Chairperson at 11:24 am.

Mr Peter Martin left the meeting at 11:24 am.

Mr Peter Martin re-joined the meeting at 11:26 am and resumed the role of the Chairperson.

The departmental officials left the meeting at 12:02 pm.

Agreed: To write to the Department seeking:

  • its assessment of potential modelling options for developer contributions and their associated impacts including the forecasted financial quantum of contributions receivable;
  • its assessment of the robustness of the 'three pronged' approach given the capacity within the Department, the required policy work and that any ministerial decision to support developer contributions has yet to determined; and
  • A summary list of the organisations which provided a response to the Department's consultation.

 

8. Active Travel Delivery Plan - Department for Infrastructure - Written Evidence

The Committee considered written evidence from the Department for Infrastructure on its 'Active Travel Delivery Plan' and noted that oral evidence will be scheduled at a suitable date in the Forward Work Programme.

 

9. Car Parking Charges - Assembly Research and Information Service - Written Briefing

The Committee considered research by the Assembly's Research and Information Service on Car Parking Charges.

Mr Harry Harvey left the meeting at 12:15 pm.

Agreed: To write to the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service and AdviceNI to seek written evidence on their experiences on the practices of private car parking operators when seeking to recover charges from consumers.

 

10. Subordinate Legislation - SL1s Not Subject to Assembly Procedure

Mr Justin McNulty left the meeting at 12:23 pm.

The Committee noted the following proposals for Statutory Rules, which are not subject to Assembly Proceedings:

  • SL1 - The Waiting Restrictions (Portstewart) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025;
  • SL1 - The Belvoir Road, Belfast (Stopping-Up) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025; and
  • SL1 - The Parking and Waiting Restrictions (Belfast) (Amendment No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025.

Agreed: To note the above proposals for Statutory Rules.

 

11. Forward Work Programme

The Committee considered the draft Forward Work Programme.

Agreed: To proceed with the scheduled evidence as set out in the draft Forward Work Programme and to reflect to any changes agreed in the course of the meeting.

 

12. Any Other Business

None.

 

13. Date, Time and Place of next meeting

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, 19 November 2025 at 10:00 am in Room 29, Parliament Buildings.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 12:24 pm.

 

Mr Peter Martin

Chairperson, Committee for Infrastructure

19 November 2025