All of Mr Andrew Muir’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
1,670 records match, page 32 of 67.
Thank you very much. The peatland strategy went to the Executive some weeks ago. It will have massive benefits for Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to carbon capture, the restoration of protected areas and the prevention of fires in our countryside. That is why I want to get agreement on it. Good work has…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Peatland Strategy Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Peatland Strategy
Thank you, Patsy. I will check with officials and write to you, because I do not have the dates in front of me. There was engagement, however. Primarily, the Department for Infrastructure is the lead on the A5 project. It is important that we consider the judgement as a whole. There are 100 pages of it. I have read…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: A5 Western Transport Corridor: High Court Ruling Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: A5 Western Transport Corridor: High Court Ruling
Thank you very much, Patsy. The A5 is a key concern for everyone in Northern Ireland. I am taking time to carefully consider the judgement that was handed down, and I encourage others to do likewise. As part of my considerations, I am engaging with Minister Kimmins, and our officials are engaging across both…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: A5 Western Transport Corridor: High Court Ruling Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: A5 Western Transport Corridor: High Court Ruling
The number of businesses that applied for the young farmers' payment from 2023 to 2025 is as follows: in 2023, 181 young farmers' applications were received, with 145 being accepted; in 2024, 195 applications were received, and 164 were accepted; and, in 2025, 358 applications were received, and the number accepted is…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Young Farmers’ Payment Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Young Farmers’ Payment
I have outlined what I intend to do on sewage pollution to strengthen the regulation and enforcement. I will bring that to the Executive and look for support for it, because I believe in fairness, and, if people believe that it is wrong that there is a separate regime for sewage pollution, they need to back my plans…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status
As Minister, I am doing all that I can on that. I have been clear and have put on the record that the statement of regulatory principles and intent (SORPI) is not fit for purpose. A consultation is under way on that between DFI and NI Water that closes at the beginning of next month. I will then take recommendations…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status
The Lough Neagh Fishermen's Co-operative's suspension of eel fishing remains in place until the week commencing 14 July, as the Member is aware. The society will provide test fish to the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the coming weeks. Scale fishing continues in the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will group questions 9 and 14 together. I will provide you first with an assessment of the current ecological status of Lough Neagh and then an update on the progress made on the Lough Neagh report and action plan. The 2024 water quality classification for rivers, lakes and marine…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Lough Neagh: Ecological Status
The climate action plan is out for consultation. If people want to read it, it is on the DAERA website. It is very clear that the climate action plan for 2023-27 is not about herd reduction. It is about productivity, and the plan sets that out. The actions that I am taking are that I have managed to secure funding of…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions
First, when it comes to the A5, I want to say one thing: my thoughts are with the families and friends who have been bereaved as a result of accidents on that road. I have met a number of them, and they had heartbreaking stories. The delivery of the A5 is an Executive commitment. I back it, not just as an MLA but as…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions
The targets set out in the climate change legislation were agreed unanimously as part of the overall package of legislation at the Bill's Final Stage. Northern Ireland is not an outlier in its decarbonisation goals. A high percentage of countries are aiming for decarbonisation. It is false and wrong to make out that…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions
We sit here in June 2025. The Climate Change Act was passed in March 2022. Shortly after that, the institutions did not sit for two years. Those were two years in which the opportunity to implement the legislation was missed as a result of the collapse of the institutions by the DUP. When I brought to the Executive…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions
Mr Speaker, I intended, with your permission, to group questions 2 and 8, but the Member was not here to ask question 2. I met the former Minister for the Economy, Minister Murphy, in June of last year. I met him again in January of this year, and I met the current Minister for the Economy, Minister Archibald, in…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Carbon Budget: Emissions
I am very conscious of people's concerns on that, and many are rightly at the end of their tether. I will speak to officials this afternoon, including the chief executive of the Environment Agency. Whatever we do has to be within our legal vires, but I am conscious of the concerns and will follow the matter up today.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report' Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report'
Thank you, Kellie. In the interim report, the panel identified two areas that, it feels, require further work. One is fleshing out the proposal for a new non-departmental public body. In essence, that would be the independent environmental protection agency. The other is reflecting the shared responsibilities for…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report' Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report'
I welcome the timely publication of the 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report'. It marks a significant step in the overall review process, with the independent panel now moving towards its final report. The need to strengthen environmental governance has never been more…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report' Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: 'Independent Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland - Interim Report'
We have already discussed the fishing and coastal growth fund. I am fighting to get a fair share of that for Northern Ireland. I am also reviewing the potential for a bilateral agreement with the Irish Government for access to their 6- to 12-mile zone rather than have that engagement take place through DEFRA.…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
I understand the Member's concerns, and it is important that that funding come to Northern Ireland and not on the basis of a Barnett calculation. The share needs to be much bigger than that. I will write again to the Minister to say that Members have raised the issue with me today in the Chamber. It is important that…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
As I said, I have already raised the issue of the fund with the relevant Minister. I will continue to argue for Northern Ireland to get its fair share of that funding. I have concerns, because there is no more detail about the fund, but I will continue to argue for funding, because harbours in Northern Ireland,…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
I have written to Minister Daniel Zeichner in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to emphasise the need for Northern Ireland to secure an equitable share of the fund and to seek an assurance that my officials will be fully and meaningfully involved in its design, delivery and promotion.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
Anaerobic digestion has a lot of benefits for Northern Ireland. Sustainable utilisation of livestock slurry, which is part of a small business research initiative (SBRI), is now in phase 2. I want to see that scaled up. We work in conjunction with the Department for the Economy on that, and wider collaboration is…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy
I thank the Member for his question. Just before coming into the Chamber for Question Time, I was updated on that situation. Over the weekend, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's waste management licensing team received a significant number of communications — approximately 25 — regarding odours from the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy
Air pollution and climate change share some similar sources of pollutants, specifically in relation to the combustion of fossil fuels, which leads to the emission of carbon dioxide and many air pollutants that adversely impact on human health. Climate action commitments for Northern Ireland, such as replacing fossil…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy
Climate change is a real issue. It affects Northern Ireland and the rest of the world as well. It is having a real impact now. The Assembly cared about that, because it unanimously endorsed the legislation at its Final Reading in 2022. It is a legislative obligation that was set out by the Assembly. I understand the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy
The management of annual bonfires is recognised as being a challenging and complex issue that requires a range of agreed multi-agency preventative and, where appropriate, enforcement activity. The deposit and burning of controlled waste at a bonfire site has the potential to be a breach of the law. In line with DAERA…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Clean Air Strategy
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