Part of Question for Urgent Oral Answer — Infrastructure – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:45 pm on 16 September 2024.
John O'Dowd
Sinn Féin
3:45,
16 September 2024
I see this as a solution, and it is the job of a Minister to bring forward solutions. Any legislation that I introduce will have to go through, first, the Executive and secondly, the rigours of the Assembly. One of those rigours will be the Committee. The Member is absolutely right that developers can make contributions, but those contributions are for separating foul water from storm water. In many of our areas, we have an antiquated system whereby we bring storm water and foul water through the same pipes, and that leads to the overrun that is in many of our waste water treatment works. Developers now can pay for the separation of those waters where it suits the solution in that area. I am talking about broadening that and allowing developers to do it. You can put whatever terminology on it that you like. It is not about me poking developers in the eye, by the way. It is about me bringing forward proposals in the recognition of the stringent financial circumstances that the Executive are under.
When I look at Labour's plans for cutting further billions from public spending, I can sit back and moan about that — I am very good at moaning — but I can also look at solutions, and this is part of my proposals around those solutions. It will hopefully allow houses, factories and schools to be built. At the end of the day, a developer will have to make a decision as to whether it is commercially viable for them to do so, as each one will have a separate cost to it, but the Assembly will have the final say on it.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.