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.
As always, I will continue to engage. I have been speaking to a number of people who have outlined the benefits associated with it and the benefits of our access to the single market for goods. That is an advantage that Northern Ireland has, more broadly, beyond agri-food. It is important that we take advantage of…
The main benefit from the recent UK-EU agreement will arise from GB, Northern Ireland and the EU having the same regulations in the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) sphere and in a number of other agri-food areas. The commitment to align regulations should mean the removal of almost all SPS-related certification and…
The draft Environmental Protection (Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and other Dangerous Substances) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 That the draft Environmental Protection (Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and other Dangerous Substances) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 be…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, regarding the seventeenth British-Irish Council (BIC) environment work sector meeting, which was held in Kew Gardens in London on Thursday 8 May of this year. Junior Minister Aisling Reilly MLA,…
Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank everyone for the constructive comments. From my officials' feedback, I know that engagement on the Farming with Nature scheme at the Balmoral show was extremely positive, and people are looking forward to taking part in it. I thank the officials, who did a…
I beg to move Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for the opportunity to propose a motion on what is almost the last item of Assembly business for today. Hopefully, the tone of this debate will be a bit more conciliatory than that of the previous debate. The Farming with Nature…
I very much welcome the agreements announced today as part of the UK-EU summit. Like everyone else, I will need to take some time to consider the full text of what has been agreed, but, on the basis of what I know to date, I believe that it is a significant and incredibly positive outcome. I am glad to play a role in…
Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. At the outset, I want to put on record that I am fully supportive of any actions that we can take to advance the welfare of animals. Indeed, when I took up the post, I made it clear from day 1 that animal welfare was one of my priorities. I was therefore pleased…
I am not kicking any can down the road. I am abiding by process and taking into account the outcome of the previous judicial review. It is very important that we do that. One thing that I will do as Minister is be honest with people about things. I will not lead people up the garden path and make them feel as if…
Thank you, Declan, for raising a key issue for me. I am glad that you have raised it. TB is a vital issue for the farming community in Northern Ireland and for my Department. I thank all the stakeholders who have engaged to agree a blueprint for the future on the issue. Significant work has been undertaken in my…
The responsibility for that sits with the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Finance. From recollection — I need to check Hansard — I said that I would formally raise the matter with them. I have not done so yet, but I will take that up this week.
Let me be clear: business as usual in Northern Ireland is not an option. If we do not proceed with the proposals set out in the nutrients action programme, we will consign Lough Neagh and many other water bodies across Northern Ireland to further deterioration and, ultimately, to ecological collapse. The longer we…
Last Thursday, I launched a consultation on the nutrients action programme for Northern Ireland. It is important to set out why I have done so. It is a legal requirement. We should also be aware of the priorities of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) for the forthcoming year. The chair of the Office for…
I am aware of the concerns about that. I do not have anything on that to hand, but I will write to you, and, if necessary, we can meet to go over it. I am conscious of the concerns of your constituents — you articulate them eloquently — and I am happy to engage with you on that.
Thank you, Colm. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency continues to receive reports of odour relating to Granville Industrial Estate, particularly Granville Ecopark, which is an anaerobic digestion plant. I am aware of the concerns of local residents, and my inspectors in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency…