Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Infrastructure – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:00 pm on 8 June 2026.
Declan Kearney
Sinn Féin
3:00,
8 June 2026
Minister, you will be aware that the reopening of the Knockmore to Antrim line is effectively a cross-party priority, supported by all elected representatives in the Constituency. It also commands a significant interest from an economic, commercial, business and community standpoint in South Antrim. Your news today is positive and helpful. However, can you specifically tell us what progress has been made on the proposed new halts from Knockmore to Antrim?
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
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.
