To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what plans she has to expand the bus lane network in Northern Ireland.

My Department is currently bringing forward the Transport Plan for the Regional Strategic Transport Network. Amongst other measures, this will consider improvements to our limited stop Goldline bus services and will explore options for the provision of additional bus lanes to avoid key traffic bottlenecks, in conjunction with better Park and Ride provision. The Draft RSTNTP is scheduled for full public consultation in late 2021, and I am determined to use these Transport Plans to help power our Green Recovery.In addition, my officials are working pro-actively with local councils to develop Local Transport Plans, which will integrate with councils’ own Local Development Plans. Local Transport Plans will seek to identify bus priority measures right across Northern Ireland to help reduce bus operating costs, while providing travel time savings for bus passengers over private vehicle users. The past year has changed the way we work and travel, and I am keen that we continue to encourage commuters to use active travel and public transport, rather than use private cars for both the short and the inter-urban journeys. A whole-system approach to active travel and public transport, such as this, will encourage greater modal shift to sustainable transport, reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.