Oliver McMullan
East Antrim · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the junior Minister for his answers so far. I draw his attention to paragraph 11 on the threats to ecosystems from invasive non-native species. I will bring the question of Lough Foyle into this and the unregulated fishing practices of fishermen bringing in seed mussels.”
“I am pleased to see that there was a discussion about farm safety at the meeting. Did Ministers give consideration to making IT packages more available to the farming community? I am looking at the farm business scheme that has just been launched here.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Can you, Minister, give me your Department's assessment of the harm that the culture of paramilitary activity and domination in parts of Carrick and Larne is having on the educational attainment of young people and children?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member made a good point when he mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way. I ask the Minister to look at that. We need to bring it up here. The Atlantic does not stop at the border; the Wild Atlantic Way should not stop at the border either.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Minister, you are aware that, increasingly, there is a two-tier system in farming, with hill farming and lowland farming. Can you guarantee to the House that any strategy that is brought out will not affect the hill farmer and his unique way of farming?”
“Were there any talks at your meeting regarding the territorial powers of the Loughs Agency, with regard to the British Government and Irish Government giving it powers to license aquaculture on the Lough?”
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“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he expect the introduction of the living wage to have any impact on the Supporting People budget?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers so far. I agree with you on the protection of birds. You mentioned Operation Raptor. Can you give us an update on where we are with that?”
“I thank the Member for his answer. What is the Commission doing to fulfil its obligations under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages?”
“I thank the Minister for his detailed response. Minister, I am sure that you agree that giving the public confidence again is paramount. Have you any plans to increase visits to the coastal flood defences, especially those in my constituency of East Antrim?”
“I thank the junior Minister for his answers so far. I draw his attention to paragraph 11 on the threats to ecosystems from invasive non-native species. I will bring the question of Lough Foyle into this and the unregulated fishing practices of fishermen bringing in seed mussels. Some might be non-invasive species that could wipe out the natural mussel or oyster in that area. Will the work sector look at how we can move this on so that agreement can be made between the British and Irish Governments on regulations for Lough Foyle before its ecosystem is wiped out?”
“I am pleased to see that there was a discussion about farm safety at the meeting. Did Ministers give consideration to making IT packages more available to the farming community? I am looking at the farm business scheme that has just been launched here. It is a matter of deep regret that IT is one of the ineligible items when you consider that anyone who goes online to apply gets 12 extra marks. Will you look at changing that to allow IT packages to become part of the grant scheme?”
“Does the Minister believe that the SIF delivery model represents a unique and innovative delivery model to tackle disadvantage?”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Can you, Minister, give me your Department's assessment of the harm that the culture of paramilitary activity and domination in parts of Carrick and Larne is having on the educational attainment of young people and children? In the absence of such an assessment, will your Department consider carrying one out?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member made a good point when he mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way. I ask the Minister to look at that. We need to bring it up here. The Atlantic does not stop at the border; the Wild Atlantic Way should not stop at the border either.”
“I thank the Minister for his answers so far. Minister, you are aware that, increasingly, there is a two-tier system in farming, with hill farming and lowland farming. Can you guarantee to the House that any strategy that is brought out will not affect the hill farmer and his unique way of farming?”
“Minister, the young farmer scheme has turned out to be very successful. Have you plans to put any new measures in place to encourage more young farmers to come forward? They are the future of the industry.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. What can we do to reassure migrant and foreign national communities that they are welcome here?”
“Were there any talks at your meeting regarding the territorial powers of the Loughs Agency, with regard to the British Government and Irish Government giving it powers to license aquaculture on the Lough? This has been going on for a while and I have listened attentively this morning about environmental projects that actually cannot go ahead unless the power is given to Loughs Agency to license aquaculture on the Lough.”
“Minister, earlier you mentioned two sites of repatriated waste. You said that there were four remaining sites and that there are another five. I am a little bit confused. How many sites are there? Is it nine, five or four? Will you list where they all are?”
“Minister, you mentioned that there are five cases ready to go in the northern zone. Can you give us an example of one of those?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, have your Department and the Executive any plans to reintroduce the literacy and numeracy programme? Do you agree that it has made a massive difference to young people by widening the net for free school meal entitlement? Can you give an assurance that you will think about reintroducing it?”
“Most of what I was going to ask has already been asked, but will the Minister outline the steps that he will take immediately to ensure that the Housing Executive stock will be maintained? Will he give an assurance that those houses that have cavity wall insulation that is giving bother will be dealt with immediately?”
“I do not believe you can have a plan for eradication, because although it is quite clear that we may not be able to eradicate this plant, we must be able to treat it and have the knowledge of how to treat it. That knowledge is missing. It is missing from the local authorities, which are on the front line when the public ask for advice. I ask that councils take that on board because it could save a lot of money in the long run. <BR /> <BR />I support the motion and thank the Member for proposing it.”
“If you are selling your home and your neighbour's property has the plant growing on it, your property will be devalued; worse still, the mortgage company may insist the plant be treated before the sale progresses. That could hold up the sale for anything up to two years, and the cost of treatment could run into thousands of pounds. <BR /> <BR />Minister, at present, it is estimated it will cost the economy here in the region of £40 million per year. Any regional programme for the eradication of knotweed that you bring forward must have the input of all Departments and regional authorities. Also, the cost of any programme of eradication must not be left to become the sole responsibility of the Assembly or its Departments. We must be clear on the law: who is responsible?”
“At present, we are failing to give proper advice to the public. That is why I ask the Minister to look into each council having a dedicated member of staff who is trained to give the correct advice to the public. I do not think we have that. We have some members of staff in councils who try their best, but they are not dedicated or trained. <BR /> <BR />We know that, when knotweed grows along watercourses, it can damage flood defence structures, which can reduce the capacity of channels to carry water. This weed can grow through concrete, tarmac and other hard-core surfaces. During the recent construction of the A8 from Larne to Belfast, problems were encountered with the weed.”
“While I support the motion, I believe we must see regional authorities — councils — coming on board as well. Councillors are in a daily battle with knotweed, so their expertise will be invaluable in combating the plant. One thing we do not have is a regional map for where the plant is growing and spreading so that we can monitor its spread. <BR /> <BR />There is a difference of opinion on the best way to deal with it. Some authorities when asked by the public advise them to spray it with off-the-shelf weedkillers. Others will have a different method. We are still not being given proper advice because we are told that the off-the-shelf weedkillers we can buy ourselves are not strong enough to deal with it. We must have a clear method of treatment and, most importantly, clear advice on disposal.”
“However, when it becomes very bad, it affects practically every part of life. Removing it involves considerable cost to the landowner, or else they face a fine. For example, it cost a reported £70 million to clear a 10-acre site for the London Olympics. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls on:”
“The issue of Japanese knotweed has now reached epidemic heights. There needs to be clear law, responsibility and duty of care. At present, there are ASBOs and civil law to deal with the problem. Those are at a local level for people not controlling Japanese knotweed when they could reasonably be expected to do so. Whenever we talk about ASBOs, we are talking about antisocial behaviour, but I do not think people can be blamed for antisocial behaviour when dealing with this problem. The one thing missing here this morning when we talk about responsibility etc is the point that quite a lot of people cannot financially deal with it. That could be a problem in the way we deal with this. <BR /> <BR />The plant, which was introduced here in the 19th century, is ornamental.”
“Minister, we have moved away from the NIEA, the licensing authority for waste tyres. It does not have accurate records. If we were to introduce a producer liability scheme, which you are talking about, it still would not deal with the fact that the statistics that you have given us, which I am not saying are wrong, do not deal with the more than 80% of tyres that go missing every year and end up everywhere. We need this register, and we need the NIEA to update its records.”
“Minister, I ask you, with this chance today, to support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />There are other ways we can be innovative with used tyres, and that will be dealt with by my colleague beside me. It will take commitment from everybody here to buy in to this. We must get commitment from everyone. This is not aimed at any one person or side; this is an environmental issue. In 2016, we still cannot tell anybody where waste tyres are going and how many tyres are being used. We are still dealing with approximate numbers: we think they are here; we think they are there. We cannot go on blaming children for taking tyres out of a yard.”
“We have a chance now to deal with tyres. We need a central register. We need a paper trail from the time a tyre is made to the time it goes from the producer to the wholesaler, the retailer and the man in the street who buys the car. There has to be a paper trail for that tyre. We can do that very easily. There can be a paper trail through VAT or whatever. We have done that with the plastic bag levy. There is a paper trail of sorts there, and it is working very well. We need to do the same with the tyre industry because it is unregulated and, as I say, is causing more and more problems every day. Our environment is suffering, and the people are suffering. How many people out there are suffering from, say, inhaling the fumes from burning tyres?”
“Members, that answer was given in 2015. <BR /> <BR />On 28 October 2013, the same Minister had written to the then Chair of the Environment Committee regarding the Department's response to the Committee's final report on used tyres and its 12 recommendations. What has happened since? The answer is nothing. The status quo remains. The criminality around waste tyres continues, and all the time our environment continues to suffer. <BR /> <BR />I ask the Minister to act on the issue, and there has never been a better time to do so. The Government in the South of Ireland are bringing forward legislation to deal with the same issue. The issue could also involve the problem of cross-border waste. We know it happens, and I am sure that the Minister is aware of it. <BR /> <BR />Members, let us not pass up the chance that we have here.”
“The Minister replied that the Member should know:”
“Members, I ask this question: who else do you know who uses waste tyres has to pay for that privilege? <BR /> <BR />I return to the subject of regulation. There is no doubt that the current system is complex, bureaucratic and in need of urgent change. On 29 June 2015, a question was asked of the then Environment Minister, Mr Durkan, on:”
“I go back to what I said. The NIEA is the controlling body for the disposal of controlled waste in or on any land. <BR /> <BR />Businesses that only transport, broker for or deal in certain types of waste are eligible to register as lower tier. All other businesses must register as upper tier, and that, Members, is where we see one of the best examples of unfairness in the present regulation. If a farmer needs tyres for his silage clamp, for use on his farm, he must apply to the NIEA for a paragraph 16 exemption, which is a three-year permit allowing a farmer to bring tyres on to his land for agricultural use only. Members, the catch in all of this is that that permit will cost the farmer £867. We are told that the cost is for reviewing the application and for a site visit once a year.”
“It is at this stage that we see the second charge put on the disposal of the tyre. That is due to little or no regulation. It is, if you like, a loophole in the law that allows some tyre dealers, carriers, businesses and the general public to increase their profits by avoiding the present method of disposal. When I say "profits", I mean that, from the money that you are charged for your tyre, the tyre dealer is supposed to pay for disposal. Therefore, dealers can accrue quite a bit of money. If they do not dispose of their tyres in the proper way, they can make a lot of money. <BR /> <BR />Members, tyres are classified as controlled waste, and it falls to the NIEA, which has the responsibility for granting licences:”
“More and more tyres are being dumped illegally for burning or just being dumped illegally around the countryside. I am talking about fly-tipping, and still we cannot get the culprits. The legislation on the management of waste is still not clear about the disposal of tyres. <BR /> <BR />The illegal practice of dumping leads to another problem which affects us all. Cleaning up the residue of burning at illegal dump sites falls into the responsibility of the council. This is where the cost per tyre escalates. The council now has to pay to dispose of the tyres, and therefore the ratepayer foots the bill.”
“That sounds a lot, but when you consider tyres from heavy machinery such as tractors, lorries etc and the number of cars we have on the roads, this is indeed a very low number. These figures show the problem that we have with regulation. Furthermore, it is unclear at present whether the NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) holds its own disposal records. <BR /> <BR />When a motorist takes his or her car to get a new tyre they are charged approximately £1·50 for a tyre, and when a lorry changes its tyres it is approximately £10-£12: both of these charges are for disposal. This is where the whole issue of regulation starts to fall down. We do not have an up-to-date register to enable us to monitor who has the tyres, who sells the tyres, where the tyres go, who takes them away and where they are taken.”
“I accept the thinking behind the amendment, but it is factually flawed. The amendment states that it is the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, when it is actually the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government who regulates waste tyres in the Southern Government. <BR /> <BR />The motion before us today is one of the most important environmental issues we have to deal with. Used tyres and their overall environmental use, and indeed their misuse, is one of the top discussions in nearly all Government regions, both here and in Europe. It is hard to believe that there is very little, and in some cases no, real effective ongoing regulation. The last figures available for the number of tyres collected for disposal or recycling was 13,370 tons.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer so far. Will he resist all or any attempts by the Education Authority to reduce rural school transport in future?”
“You have told us that you and the AERA Minister have had discussions on the fishing industry. Did part of those discussions involve any plans that you have for talking to the other regions — England, Scotland and Wales — about the fishing industries there and with your counterparts in the South of Ireland?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers so far. Can she tell me what role her Department is playing to ensure that other companies, in addition to Caterpillar, have adequate risk assessments and protocols in place to ensure that this does not happen again? My information is that quite a lot of the drainage from Caterpillar and other sources in the area runs into the sea.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Can the Minister tell us how this new body will differ from the previous Civic Forum?”
“The PPS put in place two criteria for prosecutions in relation to farmed animals: one is the assessment of available evidence, and the other is the public interest. Can you explain that? What is the public interest part of the assessment for?”
“Before a member of the public makes a purchase, they can inquire as to whether the animal comes from a reputable dealer. We must do all in our power to protect farmed and non-farmed animals from those who take great delight in inflicting pain and distress on defenceless animals. <BR /> <BR />I will take the opportunity before I finish to ask the Minister to look at a ban on trophy hunting. People go out to Europe or Africa, shoot defenceless giraffes and other animals as trophies to take back home. We have the power here to ban the import of hunting trophies.”
“Some dog breeders carry out the online sale of animals, which causes those animals great stress and pain. I ask the Minister to look at that area. We have the Welfare of Animals Act, and, in the schedules, there is every animal you can think of from chickens, goats and calves to pigs and cattle, but there is nothing about pups, the conditions that breeding establishments have to adhere to or the size of whelping cages. I asked some councils to send me information on the data that they carry for that, and it is a piece of paper that you would see a primary 1 child filling in at school. There is nothing about the size of cages. We have seen on television pups and dogs crammed into cages. The law must crack down on these unscrupulous dealers and owners.”
“That can go back to the farmer, and he can be taken in for cruelty even when the animal is dead.”
“DAERA veterinary inspectors, when required, can carry out rigorous ongoing programmes of farmed animal welfare inspections. Those inspections are part of the statutory cross-compliance surveillance to assess whether on-farm welfare meets the standards laid down in the legislation; in other words, if a farmer is not adhering to cross-compliance regulations, he can be fined twice. First, he can be fined by the Department and face a heavy fine that comes out of his single farm payment. When that is done, he can also be fined later by the courts. That deterrent is not being publicised. He can be hit with two fines. Inspections can also be carried out as a result of information from the public or from vets in meat plants. When a vet inspects a carcass in a meat plant, he can see whether there are signs of cruelty.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the last mandate, the Agriculture Minister, Michelle O'Neill, called on the Justice Minister to look at how a register could be set up. I know that there are problems with data protection and that there, and I will listen with interest to what the Minister has to say. I am in favour of a register, but we must see the courts doing their job. As other Members have said, it is no good having laws when the courts only give offenders a slap on the wrist. I agree with the Member that, when we see people coming out of court laughing and joking, the deterrent is not there. <BR /> <BR />As I said, the register would also apply to farm-reared animals. Cruelty happens to them too, although, thankfully, not on the same scale as to non-farmed animals.”
“First of all, I congratulate the Justice Minister on her first day at the podium. <BR /> <BR />Animal cruelty is one of the most difficult sections of the Welfare of Animals Act 2011 that we, as legislators, have to deal with. No matter how many laws we make and fines we impose, there are always those in our communities who continue to inflict pain and suffering on defenceless animals. We must now look at other deterrents in the continuing fight against animal cruelty. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls for a central register of those convicted of animal welfare issues or disqualified from keeping farmed or non-farmed animals. I have listened with great interest to the debate, and there has been little talk of farm-reared animals. They all come under the Welfare of Animals Act, and I am surprised that they have been left out so much today.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that farming is one of the biggest industries in rural areas? Does the House realise that the PSNI is moving towards 100% of gun permit applications being done online by August? We are also looking at staged payments of the single farm payment to help the farming community in this time of austerity. To get those staged payments, at least 70% of applications will have to be done online. Does the Member agree that rural areas need to be looked at with greater detail and urgency?”
“Building houses is part of regenerating rural communities.”
“Look at the current figures for housing stock in urban and rural areas: there is a vast difference between them. The rural areas are lagging far behind in the numbers of houses that are being built. In my constituency in the glens — in areas of Cushendall, Cushendun and Waterfoot — no houses have been built for years. Will you ask your officials to look at this and carry out an investigation as to why houses have not been built? There is the land for them, and we still cannot get housing. We are losing young people out of rural areas who are moving into urban areas.”
“What have been the reduction in staff numbers and the savings to the Executive Office arising out of the voluntary exit scheme?”