Minister Gerry Kelly condemned illegal parking

Gerry Kelly was a junior minister in Stormont Castle when in 2008 he addressed the Assembly on behalf of his Sinn Fein colleague Conor Murphy, who was the then minister responsible for parking enforcement on public land.

The former IRA bomber told the Assembly that it was important to “deter motorists from parking illegally or dangerously”.

The North Belfast MLA told the chamber: “I am aware that concerns have been expressed in the past about the level of [parking] enforcement in Enniskillen ... illegally parked vehicles not only create obstructions that increase congestion, but they frequently pose a serious road-safety problem.

“What is more, motorists who park illegally in designated bays, such as those reserved for blue-badge holders, prevent their use by those people who are entitled to park there.”

The senior Sinn Fein figure went on: “A suitable level of parking enforcement is therefore needed in all our towns and cities to deter motorists from parking illegally or dangerously.”

And two years ago the Sinn Fein minister then responsible for parking, Chris Hazzard, delivered a similarly robust message to the Assembly: “Our aim is to reduce the number of illegally parked vehicles on the road ... we want everybody to park properly; that has to be the message that is heard today.”