Andrew Muir
North Down · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. As Minister, I am grateful to the Chair of the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee and to Members from all sides of the Chamber for their consideration of the Bill and their contributions to the debate, which have been valuable and useful.”
“I will write to you with regard to your query. <BR /> <BR />The other issue, as I said, is reporting pollution incidents so that they can be effectively investigated. There is a duty on everyone to do that promptly.”
“Aquaculture provides real economic opportunities, and the Bill will help ensure that those opportunities are realised responsibly without compromising the environment. Importantly, the Bill includes transitional provisions so that existing licences can continue seamlessly as aquaculture licences, with their conditions unchanged.”
“That is not about being punitive for its own sake; it is about ensuring that the legal framework reflects the true value of our natural resources and the importance of protecting them for future generations.”
“<BR /> <BR />On strengthening the regulation of inland waters, the Bill modernises long-standing powers under the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966, ensuring that they are fit for today's environmental and industry challenges. That matters because fisheries management today goes far beyond simply catching fish.”
“<BR /> <BR />A full regulatory impact assessment of the financial impact has been completed. It concluded that the Bill does not introduce significant new financial burdens and that any costs are outweighed by the long-term benefits.”
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“I take it that the Member's question is about the closed period for slurry spreading. There has been analysis of the science in that regard and of the importance of improving water quality and safeguarding our watercourses. I acknowledge the good work that farmers do across Northern Ireland on environmental stewardship, of which there are many examples. The Department's focus is not on changing the closed period; it is on looking at issues such as the planning process associated with covered slurry stores. That is something on which we are actively engaging with stakeholders, because that also relates back to our obligations to reduce the levels of ammonia in Northern Ireland. I hope that that will be concluded in the short time ahead.”
“My Department's Forest Service is assessing opportunities to develop forestry education and training opportunities, including apprenticeship and graduate trainee forestry schemes and recruitment programmes.”
“My Department is due to publish the Northern Ireland tree-planting action plan, which is a collaborative approach that has been co-designed with sectoral stakeholders to deliver the strategy of 12% forest cover by 2050. The plan includes the consideration of education and capacity building to support sectoral resource planning and ensure that forestry skills and capacity are developed in line with the needs for forestry technical staff, contractors and managers across the supply chain, including for the next generation. That will involve my Department and stakeholders promoting forestry as a career and opening up opportunities and access to forestry education, training and skills for the Northern Ireland sector. The absence of the formal provision of forestry education in Northern Ireland requires innovative and bespoke solutions.”
“Capacity and sectoral skills shortages are well recognised in the forestry sector and are a common feature throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. That is primarily due to the increasingly competitive demand for forestry competencies to achieve ambitious tree-planting targets set by respective Governments to meet societal benefits and contribute to climate change mitigation plans.”
“I understand the Member's concern. I will check with officials about the engagement that has occurred with the Health and Safety Executive on the matter. The investigation is ongoing, and it is important that we are sensitive to that, but I get the concern around it. I will make enquires with officials and then write to the Member on the safety issue that he has raised.”
“The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) commenced an investigation following the report of a gas leak from the Granville Ecopark Ltd anaerobic digestion facility, which is located in the Granville industrial estate. Granville Ecopark Ltd holds a waste pollution prevention and control permit that is regulated by NIEA. An enforcement notice was issued to the company on 28 May 2026 in response to the incident. As an investigation is ongoing, in line with DAERA's enforcement policy, I cannot comment any further. I can, however, tell you that the gas network company has confirmed that it was not a gas leak, and Granville Ecopark Ltd has confirmed that it was a leak of the odorant used in the gas-to-grid process.”
“Any future approach that involves EDMs will build on the existing bathing water dashboard, which provides an accurate one-stop shop for bathing water information and gives sound public health advice.”
“Event duration monitors could play a key role in near-real-time reporting and therefore improve transparency and keep users informed of water quality at bathing waters. The technologies monitor the event and duration of spills from combined sewer overflows. That could improve public messaging, enabling more informed decision-making by bathers, and enhance public confidence in the bathing water programme. <BR /> <BR />My Department is working with Northern Ireland Water on a pilot initiative to explore the use of EDMs with enhanced data reporting to support more timely identification of pollution events at bathing waters. The aspiration is to have a public-facing version of the pilot within the next year. As part of the bathing waters policy review, my Department is considering how best to strengthen communication with users.”
“In addition, the consultation provides an opportunity for members of the public to propose new bathing water sites through a dedicated application process. My Department will shortly host an information webinar to provide further detail on the proposals and clarify any queries from the public. The consultation closes on Friday 21 August 2026.”
“My Department has launched a 12-week public consultation on proposed measures as part of the bathing waters policy review for Northern Ireland. The consultation seeks views on a range of proposals to modernise and improve the bathing waters programme. They include how bathing water information is communicated to users; the length and flexibility of the bathing season; the introduction of a risk-based approach to bathing water monitoring; revised criteria for the identification of bathing waters; improved monitoring and management of candidate sites; the removal of automatic de-identification of sites; ensuring that monitoring locations better reflect usage patterns; and the consideration of wider stakeholder recommendations.”
“The Member is correct to raise that issue. Alongside the Bill, there will be statutory guidance on the exercise of the powers. It is important that we understand that dilapidation affects not just cities and towns but villages. The Bill will give discretionary powers to councils, and it is important that councils actively consider them. We can intervene at an early stage to ensure that that situation does not emerge. Across Northern Ireland, we have seen too many neighbourhoods where one dilapidated building leads to a second and then a third. That is why it is important to intervene. Hopefully, the guidance will give people assurance on the exercise of the powers.”
“Currently, councils have limited powers in this area, but the Bill will provide them with the necessary discretionary powers to take steps, if they wish, to require buildings or land to be cleaned up where their condition adversely affects the amenity of the area.”
“Thank you, David. It was good to be in your constituency to see what the potential power of the Bill could be. The Bill is an example of what the House should be doing, which is enabling people to do good for their local communities. Most of the powers that are available to councils currently are from the Victorian era and are geographically fragmented, so councils tend to make little or no use of them. The Dilapidation Bill will consolidate and enhance those powers, drawing on the successful use of legislation in other jurisdictions, which will ensure that we tackle dilapidation at an earlier stage.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank the AERA Committee for its scrutiny of the Bill and for its engagement with local government. The Bill will be a good piece of legislation for councils to use in order to address the issue of dilapidated buildings across our constituencies, which many Members have raised.”
“As I have outlined, the Bill's powers are discretionary. It is really important to have a wider perspective on the matter. Where there are dilapidated buildings in neighbourhoods, towns, villages and cities, that takes them potentially off the rates base and makes it less likely that people will invest in the area. It is in district councils' interests, therefore, that the legislation is used so that buildings can be refurbished and brought back into use and that neighbourhoods are not blighted by dilapidation. We are seeking to give councils those discretionary powers so that they can use them. Obviously, when councils consider the use of those powers, they will consider whether they will get the cost recovery associated with that. The legislation puts additional methods in place to allow them to do that.”
“I emphasise that the Bill's powers are discretionary. The Bill does not impose new statutory duties or financial burdens on councils. We intend to publish statutory guidance, giving greater clarity than exists at present. We will continue to work with local government on the development of that guidance.”
“Thank you, Sinéad. The Dilapidation Bill will consolidate and modernise outdated Victorian legislation in order to help regenerate our cities, towns and villages by giving councils the powers to better tackle the issue of dilapidation. There has been significant engagement with local government, and I thank them for that constructive relationship. The Bill includes discretionary powers equivalent to those that are now long-established in Great Britain and in Ireland. We have met council representatives on a number of occasions and, pursuant to those meetings, we have agreed to table a number of amendments to the Bill. <BR /> <BR />The Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs conducted an extended Committee Stage on the Bill and engaged with local government in that regard.”
“I met local government representatives recently to discuss a variety of issues around the Dilapidation Bill. My officials have maintained regular and extensive contact with council officials throughout the Bill's progress. I have consistently highlighted the fact that no discrete funding has been provided in respect of the Bill. The powers within it are discretionary, giving councils the flexibility to avail themselves of those powers as resources permit.”
“That needs to be addressed and, through the delivery of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's planning improvement plan, work is under way to address poor-quality consultations and to reduce re-consultations by planning authorities by enhancing biodiversity checklists, defining a competent person for completing surveys and developing support tools for planning authorities.”
“From 1 April 2015 to 20 May 2026, my Department received a total of 61,969 planning consultations across all planning authorities. Of those, 26,241, or 42%, were identified as re-consultations. Re-consultations can range from one re-consultation or, in the case of one planning application, to 16. We have been asked 16 times for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's view in relation to that application. Whilst the majority of those cases can be resolved after one re-consultation, the upper end, as I have said, is 16 times.”
“I am conscious of the frustrations. Some of it also relates to wider policy issues and the need to reduce our ammonia emissions. We are working intensively with stakeholders to agree a way forward on that. There is a significant and sustained response from NIEA through the planning improvement plan. We seek to turn consultee responses around more quickly, but there is a role to play for the applicant in making sure that, when an application first comes in, we can give it a prompt response without there being an elongated process.”
“We need to have a Budget and to be able to properly resource the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to do the job that it seeks to do.”
“I will write to the Member to set out the actions that we have taken through the planning improvement plan and the further actions that we plan to take. We are putting effort into it, because we recognise that people need to get responses more promptly. We require help from other parts of the planning system, whether that means applicants or district councils, to ensure that we do not have high levels of re-consultations. We also need to make sure that people take heed of and understand the statutory advice, so that, when they put an application in, it is more likely not to require an elongated process. <BR /> <BR />Dealing with the matter requires resourcing. In our current financial situation of being without a Budget and the uncertainty around that, resourcing in the Department will become even more acute.”
“From 1 April to 29 May this year, my Department received 688 statutory planning consultations, of which 96% were responded to within the statutory target time frame. The outstanding 155 cases are on track to meet a similar performance rate. Tackling the planning consultations that are outstanding from 2025-26 remains a priority. As of 29 May, 91% of consultations that were received in that period had been responded to. My officials aim to clear all the remaining outstanding consultations by the end of September this year.”
“With an overall performance rate of 65% for statutory planning applications during 2025-26, I recognise that, in recent years, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's (NIEA) statutory planning consultation performance has fallen below the expected standard. My officials are committed to doing better through delivery of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's planning improvement plan, which was formally initiated in January this year. The improvement plan places a strong emphasis on getting decisions right at the earliest stage. Updated standing advice, including new advice for single dwellings, has been developed to improve clarity, consistency and proportionality in responses. Early evidence indicates that performance is improving, even in the context of sustained demand.”
“To deny and deflect from the realities of climate change is a gross dereliction of responsibility to our farming community, who are feeling the effects of climate change. Those effects will become even more acute if we continue to do so and listen to the Member's friend in the White House, who is in a position of complete and utter dereliction of duty when it comes to facing the realities of climate change that affect so many people, not just in Northern Ireland but across the world.”
“We are working with the farming community to deliver that. It is important that we not only heed the imperative to act but work with people on the sustainable agriculture programme and the assistance that we are giving.”
“The climate action plan, which is from 2023 to 2027, does not recommend herd reduction. We are following a way forward with the science that we can use to deliver productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
“The Department is committed to supporting the agriculture sector on climate change. That is delivered through the sustainable agriculture programme. Over £300 million in funding support is provided. We are the only part of the UK that has that ring-fenced, and I was delighted to do that. What is more, we are setting up a just transition commission to ensure that the views and voices of farmers are heard as part of the transition towards decarbonisation. In addition, there is a just transition fund for agriculture that is in its second year, supporting farmers on the adaptation and changes that are needed. I am committed to doing that in a just and fair way. The realities are there. We owe it to the farming community to deal with climate change in a fair and just manner, and that is what my Department is doing.”
“Water scarcity during prolonged heatwaves and dry periods can impact on irrigation and the availability of fresh water for livestock, which adds further pressures on farmers. We have seen the impact that that can have on grass growth and silage production. Those combined impacts are expected to hinder productivity, limit economic growth in the agriculture sector and adversely affect rural communities, highlighting the urgent need for adaptation and resilience measures in response. That is why we have launched the third version of Northern Ireland's climate adaptation programme and are committed to implementing it, taking heed of the science and evidence and the imperative to act.”
“Thank you, John. The locked-in impacts of climate change are already being felt in the agriculture sector through the increased frequency and severity of storm events; increased rainfall; extreme heat events and droughts; and new, climate-sensitive pests and pathogens. Changing weather patterns are affecting crop yields here and across Europe and damaging farm infrastructure. Unpredictable rainfall and temperature extremes are disrupting traditional farming cycles. Extreme rainfall and flooding events have caused significant damage to farmland, infrastructure and agricultural assets across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />As a result of those extreme weather events, risks such as soil erosion and nutrient depletion threaten the long-term sustainability of agricultural land.”
“I am very aware of the importance of our agri-food sector to our economy and, more than that, to our rural way of life. We are seeking to strike a balance between the two. The legislation that is being implemented was passed by my predecessor, and the 2022 DUP manifesto trumpeted it. Your change of approach to the legislation is not in line with science and evidence or the mandate that we have to deliver action around climate change.”
“An agri-food-focused stakeholder consultation event, which included presentations and a discussion on agriculture sector input and land use, land-use change and forestry took place as part of the climate action plan consultation that was held last year. Stakeholders were also invited to the Met Office event that was held in the Long Gallery last week to hear at first hand about the impact that climate change will have on the sector and the importance of working towards our climate change targets. <BR /> <BR />Engagement with the APSG and other agri-food stakeholders on climate action will continue as we move towards the development of subsequent climate action plans and an agriculture sectoral plan.”
“The sustainable agriculture programme, through its four key outcomes of improved environmental sustainability, enhanced productivity, stronger resilience and an effective supply chain, provides the core policy levers to deliver emissions reductions in the first carbon budget period and plays a central role in meeting statutory obligations under the climate change legislation. <BR /> <BR />The policies and proposals for emissions reductions in the agriculture sector that are included in the first climate action plan, and the emissions reductions that those could deliver, have been discussed on a number of occasions with the agricultural policy stakeholder group (APSG) and individual processor organisations.”
“The impact is significant. My Department is actively seeking to improve its planning performance rates. Reapplications and re-consultations increase the planning caseload and put pressure on performance, however. It is therefore vital that reapplications and re-consultations include the environmental data and information that is required up front in order to avoid the need to go back and forth for information. That is a key issue for me. It is important that it be addressed by those making the applications in the first place and then by councils, which have to contact the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.”
“As I set out in my previous response, I am respectful of the fact that Shared Environmental Services was set up by councils, so, ultimately, the remit for it sits with them. I will say to Members, however, that, when it comes to collaboration across local government, we all have representatives on NILGA, and they have a role to play in finding a way forward. I will do what I can, but I also have to respect the nature of local government. I will have that meeting with Shared Environmental Services on Wednesday, at which I will seek to find a resolution to the issues that have been raised. Ultimately, however, local government needs to act collectively to allow me to resolve them.”
“I will meet Shared Environmental Services on Wednesday. I am respectful of the fact that it is a shared service that has been set up by councils, so the authority sits with them. I have asked for a representative from the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) to be at that meeting, because councillors have a role to play. I get people's frustrations with Shared Environmental Services, particularly when it comes to an inability to get clarification on, and a response to, issues from it. That is why I asked for Wednesday's meeting. I will seek to find a better way forward, because there is real frustration with Shared Environmental Services in the agriculture community and a need to turn around queries on the issue that the Member has raised.”
“My officials have discussions with SES about various planning issues as and when they are needed. I will be meeting SES representatives in the near future. Some recent engagements between my officials and SES have related to habitats regulations assessment requirements associated with poultry applications, including transboundary movements and land spreading of poultry litter.”
“The issues are complex, but we are determined to push forward and implement the blueprint.”
“Significant action is already being taken on that. We have increased the level of testing, and we will go out to procurement on biosecurity advice to farmers. We are doing that in partnership with people, and that is why it is important that we have the stakeholder group. We will consult on wildlife interventions, and we want people to respond to that consultation. I want people to be assured that there are interventions on the three pillars of people, cattle and wildlife. I recognise the cost to farmers, not just the financial cost, which the report from the Ulster Farmers' Union set out in a very stark manner, but the mental health cost resulting from the breakdown of herds. There is also an issue with my Department's budget. However, fundamentally, I am on the side of the farming community, and I recognise the challenges.”
“Thank you, Patsy. Your latter question is more of an issue in the South of Ireland than in the North, but I acknowledge that deer are part of the wildlife issues that we need to consider. <BR /> <BR />On the vaccination programme, DEFRA is conducting a trial on that. It is being conducted in north Wales, as far as I am aware. I hope to visit that over the summer to see how it is progressing. It is important that we consider all available interventions. We will have to be respectful of the fact that we are under EU law in Northern Ireland and how that affects how we will go forward with any future roll-out, but I am watching that with interest.”
“There is significant engagement, whether through my involvement in the North/South Ministerial Council or through officials, who engage on an ongoing basis. There are also practical measures such as the regionalisation initiative that we are now delivering through the Shared Island funding. I am committed to respecting the fact that we live in one single epidemiological area. TB is a challenge, North and South. The Shared Island initiative is critical, and we will continue to engage at official and ministerial levels on that key issue.”
“The consultation, which will be open for a 12-week period, will provide stakeholders and the wider public with the opportunity to consider the available evidence and share their views on the options set out. The responses received will help to inform my decision on the way forward. As I have said previously, any decision that I make will be guided by the science and the available evidence. There is no preferred option at this juncture. I encourage all interested parties to participate in the consultation to ensure that their views are fully considered as part of the process.”
“Tackling bovine tuberculosis is a key priority for me as Minister. The impact that the disease is having on the farming community is unacceptable. The cost to individual farmers and government is unsustainable. I was therefore pleased to endorse the 'Bovine Tuberculosis in Northern Ireland: Blueprint for Eradication', which was co-designed alongside key stakeholders on the TB partnership steering group that I established last year. The public consultation on potential wildlife intervention options, which is a key pillar of the 'Blueprint for Eradication', alongside measures on people and cattle, is being finalised. I expect to launch that consultation in the next few weeks.”
“As the Member will be aware from questions on that issue, we will shortly commence a consultation on wildlife interventions across Northern Ireland. That will be an opportunity for people to give feedback and for us to consider commencement and drafting of legislation associated with that, with Executive approval. I encourage the Member to engage in that consultation constructively, as he always does.”
“I am aware that the issue the Member outlines is more prevalent in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland. As part of the consideration of wildlife intervention on those issues, we have a blueprint for TB eradication, and we continue to deliver that, but we are also seeking to cooperate on a North/South basis. When the consultation on wildlife intervention starts, I encourage all Members to constructively engage with that.”
“I will focus on the positive, which is that if we give space to nature and the environment, we will see the recovery that the Member reported. It is important that we also support such initiatives through the PEACE PLUS programme, and the North/South Ministerial Council can be the place where we cooperate in order to see the return of the curlew. That is on what we want to focus.”
“I will continue to engage with the UK Government to resolve the matter. The other issue to be addressed concerns seafood marketing standards. The detail in the SPS agri-food agreement on those issues is important, and I will continue to engage with the UK Government to make sure that any agreement works for Northern Ireland.”
“Thank you, Andy. The island of Ireland is a single epidemiological area. It has a very close relationship with the European Union, and the issues associated with Brexit have caused challenges. I welcome the fact that the UK Government are finalising negotiations with the EU on a future SPS agri-food agreement. I hope that the negotiations will conclude in the next number of weeks, after which the UK Government can move to legislating based on that agreement. I have engaged with the UK Government on the matter, and I will continue to do so. As the UK and the EU seek to finalise negotiations, there are two issues of concern. One is associated with the movement of fish and wine, which will remain outside the scope of any agreement. I am concerned that those goods will still require checks at points of entry into Northern Ireland from GB.”
“I encourage people to respond to the consultation so that we can then take decisions.”