Latest news with #Stormont
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Stormont upgrade could deliver T20 World Cup matches
Cricket Ireland have confirmed a £1m investment to the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association site in Belfast with the hope that the upgrades could deliver matches during the 2030 T20 World package is part of a joint venture that will help deliver phase one of the NICSSA's Future Master Plan with the hope to transform the Stormont venue into a fit-for-purpose ground with permanent infrastructure including seating and broadcast beat Zimbabwe in the first Test to be staged at Stormont in July. "The NICSSA Sports Precinct is a fundamentally important venue for Irish cricket, it not only features one of our leading international grounds but provides crucial space for community and domestic representative cricket to take place," said Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland."The Stormont Cricket Ground holds a great fondness for Irish fans for the many international matches it has held over the years – most notably the Test match last year against Zimbabwe."Numerous reports over the years have highlighted that there is a lack of quality training and playing facilities on the island of Ireland. We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make major in-roads into resolving these issues."Also planned are five new hybrid pitches - three at Stormont and two in Lisburn - with high-quality indoor and outdoor training spaces to help broaden widen cricket participation numbers, while also providing training and match facilities for international and domestic cricket. The plans sit alongside the Cricket in Ireland Strategic Plan 2024–2027 and the Cricket Ireland Facilities Strategy, with additional expenditure pledged to support men's cricket this season in order to offset the European T20 Premier League's deferral to 2026."If you consider this project, the new stadium at Abbottstown and our direct support for facilities upgrade proposals at Bready and Malahide, we are demonstrating our resolve to tackle the facilities and infrastructure deficits in a substantial manner," added MacNeice.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
NI Water: Rates increase of £100 could solve NI's infrastructure crisis
A £100 increase in the average household rates bill could largely solve Northern Ireland's water infrastructure crisis, a new report has study was commissioned by the bodies representing the construction industry, housing associations and the NI Chamber of increased rates payments would be accompanied by borrowing by NI underfunding of NI Water has led to a shortfall in wastewater infrastructure, which in turn, is limiting house building and contributing to water pollution. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where households do not pay directly for their NI Water receives a government subsidy which diverts more than £300m annually from the Stormont Executive's are a property tax levied on households and businesses and are the main tool which the Executive can use to raise previously paid for water through a portion of their rates bill but that link was broken in report suggests essentially recreating that link through an infrastructure said: "This retains public ownership of NI Water, supports long-term strategic investment and minimises pressure on the NI Executive's budget."It added that the levy could be decreased once NI Water's investment backlog is response to the rates proposal, a Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said the minister is willing to consider alternative approaches but does not want to add to the "financial burden" of the public. They added that Liz Kimmins is "very aware of the challenging financial circumstances of many people across our society". The Executive parties are opposed to water charges and also generally try to keep rates increases at about the rate of Sinn Féin-controlled Department for Infrastructure is holding a consultation which could lead to all house builders in Northern Ireland having to pay into a wastewater infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has set out a second proposal which would involve voluntary contributions from said developer payments alone would not solve the problems but would be a "step forward on the journey towards having the infrastructure we all need".A consultation on those proposals closes on week a budget watchdog, the NI Fiscal Council, warned that a developer levy would not raise a significant amount of money."It could help at the margin, but it is not as much of a gamechanger as something bigger on regional rates or domestic charging," its chairman Sir Robert Chote said.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
A5: Irish government funding commitment 'remains in place'
The Dublin government's €600m (£511m) funding commitment for the beleaguered A5 road project remains "steadfast", an Irish cabinet minster has this week, a high court judge ruled the road's upgrade should not go ahead in its current form because it does not comply with Stormont's climate change Irish government funding of €600m for an upgrade of the road was announced in February Wednesday, Irish Minister of State Charlie McConalogue, a Fianna Fáil TD (Irish MP) for County Donegal, said the Dublin government remains "committed to the financial assurances we have given". "To be clear the Irish government's commitment remains steadfast and remains in place," McConalogue told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme."We remain fully committed to the project. It is something we have been very committed to since the outset and at the start of last year we committed €600m to the project and that commitment remains steadfast." More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be road is the Northern Ireland part of the major arterial route that connects the north-west of the island - Donegal and Londonderry - to Dublin, via towns including Strabane, Omagh and dual carriageway scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of 58-mile (94km) £1.7bn project was given the green light by Stormont ministers in October last year. On Tuesday Northern Ireland's Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said "everything is on the table" in considering how to respond to the high court said she and her officials were "working through the judgement and what that means", describing it as "extremely detailed"."I hope to have a briefing on that later this week, and then we'll be able to identify what the next steps are," she told members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). 'Tremendous blow' McConalogue said his government would now work to be supportive in any way possible to the Northern Ireland administration to seeing the project move the court ruling as "a tremendous blow", he said: "The Irish government is very clear this project is needed."It is essential for the development of the north west, essential for the opening up of the region." What happened in court? The High Court judgement blocking the upgrade of the A5 road - because the plans did not comply with government climate change targets - shows the reach and impact of Stormont's climate change legislation - but the judgement is clear that shortcomings in the project can be remedied.A solicitor for the Alternative A5 Alliance campaign group, which brought the successful case, said his clients' efforts had been "vindicated" and it was an important day for the campaigners from the Enough is Enough group said they were disappointed with the decision but added the judgement provided a "roadmap" for how the upgrade could Tuesday, the organisation Friends of the Earth welcomed the judgement and said "money earmarked for the A5 project should now be redirected to meet other challenges in Northern Ireland's climate change legislation".
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
NI Minister pressed over next steps after A5 setback
Northern Ireland's Infrastructure Minister has been pressed to urgently outline the next steps for the proposed upgrade of a road known as the most deadly in Ireland. The A5 project suffered a major knockback yesterday when the Stormont Executive's decision to proceed with the upgrade was quashed at the High Court in Belfast. Mr Justice McAlinden said the proposed scheme breached elements of the Climate Change Act 2022. There have been more than 50 deaths on the road, which links Londonderry with Aughnacloy in Co Tyrone, since 2006. Liz Kimmins appeared at the Assembly for an urgent question on the situation this afternoon. She described to MLAs a "hugely disappointing day" yesterday for her, as well as the families of those who have died on the road. She said it had been a "very detailed judgment" that her and her officials will "take time to carefully consider in full, including any implications for the scheme and the department's next steps". "It was the first legal test for the Climate Change Act and for the Climate Action Plan, something that every department will now have to deal with the outworkings of," she told MLAs. "It's deeply regrettable that we have received this decision as we continue to see so many lives lost on this road, deaths that cause so much pain to families and tear our communities apart. "It is undoubtedly the most dangerous road in Ireland, so my priority remains the safety and wellbeing of all road users, and I am determined that we will deliver the A5. "Building the road will save lives, will create jobs, and will significantly reduce journey times between the north west and Dublin. "So despite this setback, I'm determined to find a way forward that sees this road built to ensure that we save lives, and every single day of delay risks more avoidable heartbreak, and as infrastructure minister, I'm determined to ensure that a new A5 is delivered." Stormont Infrastructure Committee chairwoman Deborah Erskine put it to Ms Kimmins that the situation is an outworking of "unrealistic and punitive climate targets". "Her party was joined by the SDLP and Alliance in imposing unrealistic and punitive climate targets despite the explicit warnings from the then agriculture and environment minister about the long-term impacts of those varied targets on other government departments, including the Department for Infrastructure," the DUP MLA said. "Will you now take responsibility for the real world impacts of virtue signalling that has led us to this point, and apologise for it and outline how you intend to solve this mess of which other parties and your party created here." Ms Kimmins responded, saying it was "not the time for point scoring". "Across the world people are taking action in terms of climate change and our responsibilities to deal with that," she said. "I think in the context of what we are talking about here today, I think it's important to remember the families who are impacted by this decision. This is not a time for point scoring, this is a time about looking for solutions. That's what I'm committed to doing, and that's what I'm determined to do." SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan also criticised Ms Kimmins, contending she "should have provided clarity on the immediate next steps for this life-saving project", instead of saying they will take time to consider the judgment in full. "This is time she does not have, people's lives are at stake every day on the A5," he said. "The minister, her predecessor John O'Dowd, and the Department for Infrastructure must take responsibility for this latest delay. "The SDLP Opposition has brought forward a proposal to amend the climate legislation to enable the A5 upgrade to proceed. "We are willing to do whatever is necessary to make progress and get this road built. We now need to see the same urgency from the minister to deliver this project and save lives."
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Police investigate ‘indecent exposure' during online Stormont meeting
Police in the North are investigating a report of indecent exposure during a meeting at Stormont. Explicit images and threatening messages were reportedly posted during a meeting for parents of young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Advertisement While many adults and young people attended in person, arrangements were made to allow others to attend remotely via Zoom. A user on that platform is reported to have transmitted the explicit images and threatening messages during the meeting. SEN Reform NI and Caleb's Cause NI, which organised the event, issued a statement apologising for the incident, and said they were going to look at how to safeguard future zoom calls. STATEMENT (🧵) SEN Reform NI and Caleb's Cause NI would like to apologise for the incident that took place on the zoom this afternoon. The whole purpose of SEN Reform NI is to keep parents at the heart of everything we do. This is why when we have events.. — SEN Reform NI (@SENreformNI) June 24, 2025 'SEN Reform NI and Caleb's Cause NI would like to apologise for the incident that took place on the zoom this afternoon,' they said. Advertisement 'The whole purpose of SEN Reform NI is to keep parents at the heart of everything we do. This is why when we have events we love to have parents involved and included at every step of the way. 'For our event in Stormont today, we had many parents come along but also arranged a zoom as we understand what it's like to find childcare, or even leave our children at all. 'Parents were sitting on a zoom with their children, listening to the different ways we can protect and support them. 'The fact that someone decided to use this space to do what they did was absolutely disgusting. Unfortunately, this does mean we will have to look at putting safeguarding elements in place when planning future zooms. Advertisement 'This is something we are going to look into and take advice on how we can ensure our future zooms are a safe space for all involved. 'To the person who committed a serious offence during our zoom this afternoon. The PSNI have been informed. Shame on you.' The PSNI said officers received a report of indecent exposure online in the east Belfast area at about 12.15pm on Tuesday June 23. 'Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information that could assist police is asked to get in touch via the 101 number, quoting reference 675 of 24/06/25,' they said. Advertisement
