To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to outline (i) the programme for weed spraying in East Antrim; (ii) the weed spraying conducted in East Antrim in 2016 to date; and (iii) whether he will ensure that all public footpaths and roads in East Antrim are sprayed for weeds.

Unfortunately due to funding limitations last year no weed spraying was undertaken which had created the overgrown condition of our road and footpath network throughout the north. This year I am pleased to advise I allocated funding to allow a full weed spraying programme to take place.

The weed spray operation in East Antrim was completed this year on 25 May 2016 and whilst this did decay a large proportion of the vegetation, additional remedial spot treatments were required due to the size and spread of the weeds. A further treatment of the entire East Antrim area was considered necessary and was completed on 20 September 2016 and should be another step in rectifying the current situation.

In relation to similar work in 2017-18, I will discuss with Executive colleagues the requirements for resource funding to meet service delivery demands. These discussions are ongoing as part of the Programme for Government so I am currently unable to confirm service delivery levels for next year.