Edwin Poots
South Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I call Mr Eóin Tennyson. Again, this is Mr Tennyson's first opportunity to speak as a private Member, so I remind the House that it is convention that a maiden speech be made without interruption. However, if you choose to express views that provoke an interruption, you are likely to forfeit that protection.”
“Sorry — Ms Armstrong. My apologies. <BR /> <BR />That the Assembly could, in some way, get that money out when it is a UK Government responsibility. The UK Government have distributed it directly in Scotland and Wales, not through the Welsh Parliament and not through the Scottish Parliament.”
“I have not got time; I am sorry. <BR /> <BR />Ursula von der Leyen, who was in the Republic last week, made some of the most ridiculous claims about the British Government, who have supported Ukraine in a way that no other Government in Europe have and who have never engaged in the activity that was suggested by Ursula von der Leyen.”
“Today, a lot of statements have been made but there has not been a lot of fact behind a lot of what has been said. We have Michelle O'Neill, who walked out of her role as Health Minister — not for six months but for three years — and abandoned her position when we had Bengoa and there were all the problems with nursing that led to the str…”
“I need to deal with the issues first. <BR /> <BR />He referred to the Budget that he produced. No party supported that Budget. The Alliance Party did not support it, because it did not cover policing and prisons. Infrastructure did not support it, because it would not allow it to do the basics of what had to be done.”
“We had a circumstance where Sinn Féin repeated, month after month after month, that there were hundreds of millions to give to the public when that did not exist and when, in reality, Minister Murphy was racking up debt that will roll into next year, which will ensure that that will be a difficult financial year.”
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“I am very happy with what is happening. We have had conversations with the Minister of Education on cooperation between my Department and her Department. I hope that the spirit that exists there will be carried through to a future Assembly term, in which we will see even greater levels of cooperation between the two Departments on ensuring that good environmental knowledge and practice is high on the curriculum and something that we can assist the education authorities and schools in delivering.”
“We need to look at all those opportunities.”
“I know that the Member was a schoolteacher and that she has a real heart for education. We know the importance of the environment to our younger population and their interest in it. Therefore, the development of anything that will make them better informed and help them to get to know nature better and to look at the challenges in biodiversity is tremendous.”
“It will be a tremendous programme that will encourage young people to engage with nature and that will develop our pollinator population further at a time when it is under threat.”
“Northern Ireland is a leader in the Eco-Schools programme. We are one of the first regions in the world to have all our primary and secondary schools registered with Eco-Schools. <BR /> <BR />Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Eco-Schools and the carrier bag levy team will shortly work in partnership to launch and run a school-based poster campaign, which aims to promote the reuse of carrier bags and the concept of "Don't pay to throw away". Diary commitments permitting, in late March, I will present the prizes to the schools with the winning posters, which will be displayed in retail outlets across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />We are also involved in the pollinator scheme in which schools will access just short of £2 million.”
“We have been doing quite a bit of work with the Minister of Education on the potential for linkages to support rural schools, in particular, through funding and environmental projects. The Eco-Schools Northern Ireland programme has been going for quite a long time and has been particularly successful. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful is the delivery body for that programme. It oversees and directly manages a number of programmes that operate across Northern Ireland targeted at the safeguarding of our environment, educating students and young people and raising overall environmental awareness. Eco-Schools Northern Ireland is part of a global schools education network that promotes and encourages children and young adults to get actively involved in finding solutions to environmental and sustainable development challenges at a local level.”
“I was shocked by it; I could not believe that it is such a high proportion of people. I thought that the percentage would be in single figures, but that is where we are. A powerful education programme on the unacceptability of littering in our countryside is needed. Funding has been allocated to 22 amazing projects, and we are delighted to do that.”
“There was quite a lot of conversation about the Mournes, particularly after the fire, and quite a lot of public representatives indicated that something needed to be done. It is my Department that has stepped up to the plate with the money that was awarded a few weeks back and the support for organisations that provide rescue services to areas including the Mournes and for conservation groups on the Mournes. <BR /> <BR />We have gone out of our way to ensure that not only the Mournes but many areas will benefit from that. The likes of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful will receive £257,000 to continue to ensure that less litter is dropped and that we have a cleaner environment. Remarkably, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful recently told me that around 30% of people regularly litter. That is an amazing figure, and it is unacceptable.”
“The most successful is the Mourne Heritage Trust, which is receiving £229,270. That is for the continued provision of a full range of conservation, environmental and visitor management functions for the Mourne area of natural beauty, including areas of special scientific interest (ASSIs), special areas of conservation (SACs) and special protection areas (SPAs).”
“We are doing the final preparations for its launch. We are identifying the final fund that we intend to secure to deliver it. That has not been completely finalised at this point; therefore, I cannot give a figure on what we intend to offer. We will look at that connection with nature and how we can ensure that people connect better with nature. We will look at strategies such as the peatland strategy, 'Nature Positive 2030' and the outdoor recreation plan. "Nature recovery: building ecological and climate resilience" and "Connecting people with nature" will be the themes. The organisations that believe that they have projects need to look at how they can tie into those themes, so I encourage the Member to relate that to the programmes that he referred to so that they know about the potential for financial support.”
“I hope that that will inspire all of us to play our part in creating a cleaner, greener, accessible and more sustainable environment, as well as encouraging us to improve the health of our communities through environmental action and behavioural change. As we in Northern Ireland seek to address the challenges through our green growth strategy, we must lay the foundations for a more sustainable society. If we get it right, the benefits to rural and urban people, the environment and the economy will be substantial and will, no doubt, make Northern Ireland a place where people want to live, work and be active.”
“<BR /> <BR />The purpose of the statement is to provide an update on the commitments being made under the environment fund and future opportunities that rightly recognise, prioritise and support the efforts being made to tackle the biodiversity and climate priorities facing Northern Ireland. We must look to a post-COVID-19 future and embrace the opportunities that green growth, peatland restoration, carbon reduction and technological innovation present. Given the challenges presented by climate change, a focus on the environment and sustainability will be key in the delivery of future programmes. <BR /> <BR />I commend all those who are delivering the projects: staff, volunteers and contractors.”
“Under the "Connecting people with nature" theme, we are primarily interested in projects that will help connect significant numbers of people with nature through increasing the quality, quantity or accessibility of nature to people or increasing their understanding and involvement in the protection of nature, natural landscapes and earth science. The environmental challenge competition will, for the first time, be completed by a new online application process. It will make use of technology that is at an advanced stage of development, which will enable a more modern, user-friendly and efficient process for customers and officials.”
“The key themes to be addressed through the competition are "Nature recovery: building ecological and climate resilience" and "Connecting people with nature". Under the "Nature recovery" theme, we are primarily interested in projects that will significantly contribute towards commitments to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, especially initiatives and actions that will increase the area of wildlife habitat, protect and improve the management of habitats or create nature networks that will enhance habitat connectivity.”
“The competition will provide the opportunity for not-for-profit organisations to apply for funding to deliver strategic environmental projects that will help to deliver priorities identified in the draft environment and peatland strategies, 'Nature Positive 2030' and the outdoor recreation action plan and for green growth.”
“Hundreds of enthusiastic and committed volunteers record priority species of animals and plants so that we can monitor the health of our environment and make decisions about its sustainable management. Many more volunteers and contractors undertake habitat restoration projects. <BR /> <BR />The environment fund grant aid will continue to ensure that every school across Northern Ireland can continue to work to be an Eco-School, so that future generations learn early how to understand and care for their environment. <BR /> <BR />I am also delighted to announce that a new environmental challenge competition for 2022-23 will be launched in the coming weeks.”
“I have visited many of the projects, such as the work carried out by the Mourne Heritage Trust and the National Trust in the Mourne Mountains: restoring and maintaining many path networks; supporting visitors to public and private land to leave no trace; and enabling the recovery of the heathland habitat after the devastating fire last year. <BR /> <BR />The impact of COVID-19 on the finances of environmental organisations means that this is a great opportunity to support and maintain the work of local organisations and the people in them, who are passionate about improving the environment. Many of the organisations receiving grant aid coordinate an astounding level of citizen science activities.”
“It will enable 22 organisations to continue to deliver important projects that focus on habitat restoration; species monitoring; enhancement of understanding and appreciation of the environment; and outdoor recreation improvement, with its associated health and well-being benefits. <BR /> <BR />During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all realised the value of getting out into the environment. The money will help us all to enjoy and access sites so that we can continue to benefit from our beautiful natural environment in Northern Ireland. Organisations continue to tirelessly provide opportunities for everyone to get out and enjoy the natural environment at a time when demand is particularly high.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to make a statement to the Assembly about the environment fund for 2022-23. <BR /> <BR />I am delighted to announce the award of £2·9 million in funding for the delivery of strategic environmental projects across Northern Ireland. That comes on top of almost £19 million already offered to projects under the DAERA environment fund, which commenced in 2019. The environment fund is one of my Department’s mechanisms that enables not-for-profit organisations and councils to deliver key priorities for the terrestrial and aquatic environment.”
“It is an environment where people fight and argue with each other a lot, but it should never lead to a point where you end up falling out with each other. Christopher was the epitome of that. He argued vehemently for his cause, but he maintained relationships with people. That is critical. <BR /> <BR />We wish his family well at this time. We know that the God of all comfort will be with them. They are a family of strong faith. Their greatest comfort is that Christopher heard the gospel when he was young and received the Lord Jesus Christ as his saviour in a personal capacity. That will be of huge comfort to that family for many years to come. They know that they will meet again, should they make the same decision.”
“Granny May was one of the founders of the DUP, and Christopher just loved talking politics with her. She took him to all the rallies, events, conferences and everything else because he could not drive until he was nearly 30. She took him to all those events, and, of course, he had the bonus of having Laura there with him while Granny May was escorting him about. He was able to talk politics and do his dating at the same time. <BR /> <BR />We have lost a one-off in Christopher Stalford. He was slightly eccentric and sometimes very irritating, but he was always very endearing. He and I had many an argument, but we never broke up without retaining our friendship. That is critical for everybody who is engaged in politics.”
“They were mainly working-class people from loyalist backgrounds but not exclusively so. They used that office in their droves because they needed it. His team — I have to mention them — Sarah, Tracy, Paul and formerly Nathan were all hugely supportive to Christopher in establishing that office and making it operational. It was a very busy constituency office and the people in it were regularly out knocking on doors. That local community will really miss that. <BR /> <BR />Our hearts go out to the family today. They are very precious to us. Christopher's wife's nanny, Granny May, died last year, and some of you who were on Belfast council knew Granny May. Sometimes, when you saw Christopher coming, you wondered whether it was Laura he was going with or Granny May.”
“That is the first thing that I recognised in Christopher before anything to do with politics: he was a family man first. Politics was a passion, and it was his career, but it was secondary to the family. <BR /> <BR />He may have appeared to be the stuffy guy in a three-piece suit or the country gent in his tweed jacket, but he was neither. He was a working-class lad, who was brought up by a single mother who lost her husband in very difficult circumstances. He was very bright and articulate. He was offered a place at the University of St Andrews, but he turned it down, as he wanted to stay here. He could have gone far in many careers beyond politics, but there was never going to be any career other than politics for Christopher. He based his office in Sandy Row, and people used that office in their droves.”
“Christopher was very proud that Dr Paisley married him and dedicated his four children. When it came to politics, Christopher had the attitude that he would be a husband, father and son first. He did that and ensured that he spent that time with his family. The last Facebook post that Christopher put up was on Saturday, and he was out with his four children. People might not know this, but Christopher loved baking and cooking, and he loved telling people how he did it. He used to make Christmas puddings and give them away. He did that cooking with his children. He just loved spending time with his children. I believe that a lot of that was due to the loss of his father at such a young age. He recognised the need to spend quality time with your family.”
“Those folks were the ones who were most precious to him, as well as his Mum, Karen, his stepfather, Eric, and his sister, Angela.”
“The first time that I came across Christopher Stalford was at one of our party conferences. He turned up, about 15 years of age, with blond, mullet-style hair and a three-piece suit, and I said, "Wow, what's this kid about?" He had a very nice young lady on his arm that day, and that young lady, Laura, has been with him ever since. We pay our tributes to Christopher but think today of Laura and their four lovely children: Trinity, Cameron, Oliver and Abigail.”
“It is not something that I am fixed on. We will give due consideration to the consultation responses when they come in. It is, however, a consultation at this stage, as opposed to a policy, and I am just giving you the thought process behind it.”
“Frankly, it is not possible to make a living off 3 hectares of land. It is not possible to make a living off 10 hectares of land unless you have chicken houses, pig houses, glasshouses or something else that will augment the holding. We are trying to encourage efficient farms that are environmentally sustainable going forward. That will involve some degree of expansion, perhaps involving a collaboration between some of those very small farms and other farms, which are not big but medium-sized, in order to enable those people to produce food as efficiently as possible. <BR /> <BR />If someone is working elsewhere, earning £30,000 to £40,000 a year, and wants to keep a dozen bullocks over the summertime, the question is this: should we be augmenting their income with public money? That is the question that I would pose.”
“At the minute, it is a consultation. The Member did not happen to mention that we are looking at reducing the higher band as well. What we are trying to ensure is that the people who make their living from farming are the people who get the most support. People who operate with 3 hectares tend to have other jobs and sources of income, and farming is a hobby for them. I also do not believe that the people at the higher end need the support that had been made available to them through the European Union. I am trying to set it towards the middle so that young people in particular who want to come home to farm have a fighting chance of doing so. That is an entirely reasonable thing to do.”
“We will only rid ourselves of the problem when we bring a significant number of prosecutions against the individuals who are involved. I suspect that those involved are also involved in other criminal activities, so clamping down on it would be beneficial to the entire community.”
“A relatively small number of people are engaged in organised dog fighting. It tends to be carried out in the underworld. It is one of the most heinous and despicable things that people can engage in. It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with sport. It is just vile, wicked behaviour by human beings to set two dogs on each other and gamble on them ripping each other apart to see which one will win. <BR /> <BR />It is a policing matter first and foremost, but we will do anything that we can to support other bodies and organisations to bring it to an end. I appeal to members of the public who are aware of those activities, or who have suspicions that they are taking place, to notify the police and bring that to the attention of the authorities.”
“We have had our Paws for Thought campaign. We have identified the fact that about 55% of puppies that were being exported through our ports did not have the correct documentation or chips and so forth, with the result that 44% of those were not allowed to be moved. A course of action has been taken to clamp down on that. <BR /> <BR />On animal welfare, we wish to see a register of people who are abusive to animals. Progress is beginning to be made on that. Between ourselves and the Department of Justice, which is absolutely critical to unlocking this, I hope that we will get it into the right place for it to be driven forward. That may not be in my period of office, but an awful lot of the groundwork to make it happen in the not too distant future will have been done in my period of office.”
“One of the first things that I did on entering office was to drive forward the Forests for Our Future programme, which looks at the planting of 18 million trees. That is a tree for every person, every year, for the next 10 years. We have had some really good support. Some councils have been excellent, while others have not come up to the mark quite yet; I encourage them to get on board. Other bodies and Departments have been good. Northern Ireland Water is one of the public bodies that has been exceptional in its response. <BR /> <BR />There is a real drive on tree planting. We have secured a reasonable amount of money in Forest Service reserves from last year and the previous year. That will enable it to drive the initiative forward and ensure that we can plant those 18 million trees over the next 10 years.”
“Responsibility for the protection of trees lies with the planning departments in local councils, which can place tree protection orders on species that have that real benefit to Northern Ireland. Generally, those are indigenous species. I am not sure what the context of the tree removal is in the area that the Member is referring to and whether those trees were indigenous or non-indigenous, but I am sure that she will have some more questions to ask on it.”
“Members will have seen earlier this year how avian influenza was able to come here, mainly through wild birds. The strict biosecurity measures that apply in the chicken industry also apply in the pork industry. We have a very efficient pork industry, and the farmers who work in it have very strict biosecurity measures. Good biosecurity is the best means of ensuring that those awful diseases do not get in. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, an outbreak of avian influenza has been reported in County Fermanagh in the last few days. It involves a small backyard flock, but, again, that leads to significant restrictions on all farms and all poultry keepers in the area and has consequences for exports. We really need to keep those diseases out of Northern Ireland and keep our animal population as healthy as possible.”
“At this point, thankfully, African swine flu has not reached Northern Ireland.”
“That will identify the amount of phosphates that are in the soil. That is why we are carrying out linear testing and linear mapping so that we can identify those areas where there is more significant run-off. We will, by taking the right steps, clean up our rivers so that they are in a pristine condition, which, hopefully, will encourage tourism and recreation and sport on our rivers.”
“Absolutely. We are seeking to work with Northern Ireland Water and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in order to ensure that we can be as helpful to them as possible in developing the right and appropriate schemes. On the agricultural pollution that exists, the more work that we can do on anaerobic digestion, slurry separation and ensuring that we can take as many phosphates out of the system as possible, the cleaner the waterways that we can have. I believe that there is a future for farmers in selling phosphates. Phosphates are a big contributor to water quality. They are a valuable resource, and we need to provide the assistance and support to allow farms to invest in the technology to take phosphates out of the system and apply only that which is appropriate. That is why we have done soil testing across Northern Ireland.”
“One of the investments made last year was in slurry-spreading equipment that ensures that more of the nutrients in the material that is being spread actually stay in the ground and that slurry is applied at the appropriate times. Those courses of work will help. Of course, significant investment is required in Northern Ireland Water. Unless that situation is taken seriously, great problems will be posed. We have what is termed an "integrated system". The sewers and storm drains are connected, so, when you get heavy rainfall, you get sewage washed into the water system. Frankly, that has to be dealt with. We must have independent sewerage systems that will not lead to the contamination of waterways.”
“I thank the Member for the question. I commend him, in particular, for the work that he did in supporting the Connswater greenway project, which has brought £20 million of investment into the city. I know that he worked closely with the local community for many years to achieve that. The east Belfast community, and beyond, is seeing the real benefits of the investment that has been made in the Connswater greenway. That has been a tremendous piece of work. <BR /> <BR />We are working all the time to improve the quality of our rivers and to take steps to achieve that, because they have not been of the standard that they should be. There is a course of work to do to get them to the standard that we want them to be.”
“Once I have considered the options and decided on policy directions, officials shall engage with other Departments to develop those preferred options and policy positions more fully.”
“The clean air strategy was a course of work that was done. We have sought to ensure that air quality improved across all areas. We note that levels of nitrogen dioxide have remained lower since lockdown in 2020 than they were in previous years and that the levels of particulates have been varying. Air pollution is affected by topography and weather conditions, and concentrations of pollutants can vary within relatively short periods. A 12-week consultation on the clean air strategy ran from November 2020 to February 2021. Following the period of public discussion, responses were reviewed. Officials have completed an analysis of comments, findings and recommendations, and those will be presented shortly.”
“We talked earlier about the ammonia strategy and the work that we have done to reduce ammonia in the atmosphere. Monitors are put in place to give us assurances. As the Member knows, I am a big supporter of switching from petrol and diesel vehicles to biomethane, hydrogen and electric vehicles. We need more charging points in Northern Ireland for people who wish to switch from combustible vehicles to electric vehicles. I have sought to apply pressure on the Infrastructure Minister to ensure that that happens. It has not happened as quickly as it should have, in my opinion. We need to have that switch from vehicles that use fossil fuels to vehicles that use renewable fuels. That will improve air quality and reduce the carbon that enters the environment.”
“I will happily arrange for the Member to speak to my officials and to meet me, along with the officials, in order to discuss those issues further. Getting it right is critical. The monitors are currently placed in areas where there is heavy road traffic usage, which is why those locations were chosen. However, if the Member, who represents the area, believes that those are not the appropriate locations, I am happy to talk to him about that. <BR /> <BR />There is a series of reasons — I will go back to my Department of Health years on this one — that people die seven years earlier in inner-city areas as opposed to other areas. Air quality may be one of those reasons, but it is just one reason. We have a responsibility to ensure that air quality is good, and we will continue to do whatever we can to ensure that that is the case.”
“Regulation limit values, target values and corresponding air quality strategy objectives have been met for all pollutants measured at the three East Belfast sites in 2018, 2019 and 2020. <BR /> <BR />Historical data for those sites and all other monitoring stations in the network are available online through my Department’s air quality Northern Ireland website. I encourage everyone to visit that site, where you can download the Northern Ireland air app, see the locations of all air monitoring stations and receive the most up-to-date information on the quality of air across Northern Ireland.”
“Air quality is monitored in East Belfast at three automatic monitoring stations based at Ballyhackamore on the Upper Newtownards Road, Dundonald on the Upper Newtownards Road and Holywood on the A2 bypass. Nitrogen dioxide is monitored at all three sites with particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 also monitored at the Holywood site. <BR /> <BR />My Department publishes an annual report to summarise air quality monitoring results for Northern Ireland. The report reviews the pollutants monitored and highlights compliance, as well as the exceedances, of air quality objectives. The most recent air quality report published in December 2021 relates to the 2020 calendar year.”
“Thus far, there are deals with New Zealand, Australia and Japan. I do not think that those countries stand out as having significant human rights issues. Certainly, there are others where that will be an issue, and it is for national Government to look at those issues before arriving at any agreement with them. Perhaps the Member is referring to Australia's rather draconian policies when it comes to COVID, which I could not support. Nonetheless, they are not, by any stretch of the imagination, to quite the same standard as those in North Korea.”
“The only farming area that is under pressure at this time is the pork sector, and we will help it until it turns a corner again and prices in that area increase.”
“There are certainly lots of opportunities, and the world does not end at Poland or, indeed, Croatia; it stretches far beyond those places. We have the opportunity to do business in Japan, and the door has recently been opened up once again for our meat, including our lamb, to be exported to North America. That is good news. Sometimes, some Members seem to want to dwell on the bad news. There are a lot of good things happening out there. I have news for the Assembly: since we came out of the European Union, beef prices have gone up, milk prices have gone up and poultry prices have gone up.”
“Around 80% of the world's screening equipment is manufactured in Mid Ulster, and I would have thought that, given the mining that takes place in Australia and therefore its demand for screening equipment, the Australian free trade deal creates massive opportunities. In that instance, she may have something to be pleased about from the Australian free trade deal.”