To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether he will commit to (i) repairing; or (ii) resurfacing Shore Road, Portaferry, between Lough Shore Road and Cook Street, in advance of the 2024 tourist season.

Resurfacing schemes are funded through my Department’s Structural Maintenance Programme; regrettably, for some time the available investment has not kept pace with what is needed to maintain all of our roads in a reasonable condition.

While there are many roads that would benefit from investment, due to limited budget resources, resurfacing work is taken forward through the prioritisation of those deemed most in need for intervention.

I am very aware of the long-term underfunding from which our road network has suffered. Therefore, I have recently announced the immediate investment of an additional £1m in road maintenance to begin to address the growing backlog of pothole repairs. This much needed funding will be used between now and the end of the financial year to target areas of particular need with small scale resurfacing schemes designed to repair areas that have suffered the most and where localised repairs are less effective.

I have also allocated over £8m of additional funding to structural maintenance to allow further large scale resurfacing schemes to be delivered. This represents a significant investment in improving the structural integrity of our road network.

Details of the planned list of resurfacing schemes for the 2024/25 financial year in the Ards and North Down Borough Council area will be included in the Department’s Annual Report to Council in due course.

My Department will continue to monitor this area and all defects meeting current intervention levels shall be recorded for repairs in line with set maintenance policy guidelines.