To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what support her Department has provided Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, including its legacy Councils, for the installation of e-car charging points.

In 2010, the former Department for Regional Development and the former Department of the Environment formed a consortium of public and private sector organisations including Larne and Ballymena Borough Councils to deliver a network of 337 charge points to support the introduction of electric vehicles in the transport sector.

Following this, the then Department for Regional Development led a public sector estate workplace charge point project to assist public sector organisations to install charge points. This project provided all local councils with the opportunity to avail of the grant to install e-car charge points provided by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). I understand that Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne Borough Councils chose not to take part in the project at this time.

My officials continue to provide advice and guidance to Councils interested in installing public charge point infrastructure and recently met with officials from Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. The meeting was to discuss the Residential Charge Point Scheme, OLEV funding and the public charge point infrastructure.