To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for a breakdown of spend on the delivery of new cycling infrastructure over the last three financial years.

Ms Kimmins

My Department does not monitor spend on cycling infrastructure separately from other active travel improvements. The total spend recorded on dedicated active travel projects in the past three financial years is £12 million in 2022-23, £10 million in 2023-24 and, provisionally, £17 million in 2024-25. In addition to spend on new active travel projects, my Department routinely undertakes many activities that are primarily for the benefit of pedestrians and cyclists. Spend on those is not included in those figures. Overall spend in my Department on active travel is in the region of £45 million to £50 million, which equates to around 5% to 6% of the overall transport budget.

Ms Kimmins

The Member refers to fixing footways and street lights as if those things take up a lot of the budget. Such work is carried out on active travel schemes that are already in place and require maintenance to ensure that the routes are safe for everyone to use, be that by making sure that they are properly lit or that the surfaces are safe for pedestrians and cyclists. However, there is a difference between the maintenance of existing schemes and the building of new schemes. Part of that is about ensuring that they are safe for people to use, which relates to the quality of the surfaces as well as ensuring that they are properly lit. If we want to do this really well, we have to ensure that the routes that we are providing, whether they are new or existing, are accessible for everyone, can be used at all times during the day, are properly connecting communities and fulfil what we set out to do.

Mr Boylan

Minister, how do you determine whether active travel funding is being fairly distributed?

Ms Kimmins

I understand that walking, wheeling or cycling will always be most attractive as modes of transport over shorter distances, as they are probably more achievable for most people in those circumstances. Therefore, it is important to target investment in areas where it has the potential to be at its most beneficial. However, striking the right balance between urban and rural investment is also very important. To ensure fairness and consistency, we will use the same guiding principles that apply in larger towns and cities to prioritise pedestrian and cycling improvements in smaller settlements. We will, therefore, place particular emphasis on links to schools, public transport and small town or village centres. It is fair to say that this is not an exact science, so my Department continues to engage with all councils and other stakeholders to strike the right balance to ensure that we are delivering for everybody across the North and do not focus just on bigger areas.

Mr K Buchanan

Minister, the aim is to have the active travel budget sitting at around 10%; I think that it is currently at 6% or 7% or thereabouts. Will that be to the detriment of existing roads and footpaths, because we are swinging too much one way and cannot drive or walk on what we have at present?

Ms Kimmins

I think that the Member raised that before. I do not think that it is to the detriment of existing roads and footpaths. Those are schemes that we have to do, and we want to encourage people to get out of their cars and use their bikes or walk or whatever it may be. One should not replace the other. We are working to ensure that we provide options for everybody and are working towards our climate change targets on active travel. You will know that it is set out in those targets that I have to allocate 10% of my budget to active travel, so it is a requirement for me. It is very important, however, that if we are to encourage people to have healthier lifestyles and to get out and about and out of their cars, we have to do it right. That is how we are doing it, and we have to work towards that 10% budget allocation. It is important to say that maintaining our footpaths is part of the overall piece on roads and footpaths. You will also be aware of the fact that we are looking at the road maintenance strategy and at how we can do it better. We all recognise the shortfalls in the budget, but take it from me that I am committed to making sure that I get as much money as I can to upgrade and fix our roads to the best of my and the Department's ability. I am very focused on that.