Analysis in progress: 97,637 of 97,960 records assessed (99.7%). Totals and rankings will change until it finishes. Progress details
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 52 of 67.
Tree planting is critical. Northern Ireland's woodland cover is low: 8·6% of land area. Compared with other UK countries and with the Republic of Ireland, that is extremely low. We have one of the lowest areas of afforestation in western Europe. We need to take action, and I see a lot of thirst and ambition to do…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Afforestation Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Afforestation
Increasing the area of forests and woodlands is a key challenge and focus for my Department. Having more woodlands provides greater opportunity to capture carbon, improve water quality, enhance our environment and our important habitats and extend outdoor access to provide health and well-being benefits for our…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Afforestation Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Afforestation
I understand the issue, but it probably extends a bit beyond the Bill. That issue sits largely with the Department for Communities and with your colleague Gordon Lyons. I am happy to work with Gordon on that, as well as with the councils, to see how we can help. Smaller amounts of money can often help towards the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update
I will work with anyone to deal with any issues in society around that. Later this week, I will meet Belfast City Council. Obviously, the issue is on its agenda. The strength of the Executive is in how we work together on those issues. The Bill relates particularly to dilapidation powers. Councils have significant…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update
The intended powers will enable councils to act in the absence of an identified owner by extending the range of persons on whom notice could be served to include any person with an interest in any neglected site, such as an owner-occupier, a person with a charge over or other financial interest in the land, or a…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update
It is my intention to introduce a dilapidation Bill to the Assembly in the autumn term of the current session, subject, of course, to the agreement of my Executive colleagues. The proposed Bill would provide councils with a modern, fit-for-purpose regime and clear toolkit of powers to tackle dilapidated buildings and…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Update
It is absolutely key, because it is sharing not only intelligence but ways in which to promote the efforts that it is making on that. That is why I want to engage with animal welfare stakeholders to see how much more we can bring them on board with what we are doing, because we need to be able to work together to…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking
It was good to be in Larne. I got a warm welcome. I really commend the multi-agency work that is being done on this. It is an example of what we can and should do to deal with those issues. It is absolutely critical. What I have seen is that there has been a real deterrent effect as a result of the work that is being…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking
I thank the Member for his question. It is really an abhorrent trade. I was in Larne a few weeks ago to see the work of the multi-agency approach. Some of the stuff that I heard was shocking, including the story of an attempt to smuggle pups that were hidden under garden waste through the port. That is wrong. We need…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 4 and 14 together. My Department created the Paws for Thought multi-agency group in 2020 to coordinate the actions of relevant statutory agencies here in order to disrupt the trafficking of low-welfare pups. The group comprises representatives from the police;…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Puppy Trafficking
I agree with the Member. An analysis that my Department undertook found that, in real terms and by using the consumer prices index, in 2020, £330 million, which was when the UK left the EU, would have been approximately £390 million at the end of 2023. Therefore, we need to ensure that future payments are indexed in…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support
I thank the Member for his question. He touches on a key issue that far too many people in Northern Ireland have forgotten . That is the loss to Northern Ireland of that rural development funding. A lot of promises were made during Brexit. Very few were fulfilled. One of those was rural support in our communities, and…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support
It is absolutely key. I am committed to setting up a just transition fund for agriculture in the months ahead, but, first, I need clarity from the UK Government on the level of funding being made available in the years ahead. We need to ensure that the work that we need to carry out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support
I have written to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a number of occasions expressing my deep concerns about the future of the earmarked agriculture budget, with the current funding package coming to a conclusion at the end of March next year. I have stressed to him that any future…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Agriculture: Financial Support
I am working with the Finance Minister to roll out funding support to people, and I made a bid for further support through TRPSI, so it is not for the want of trying to roll out funding to people. We are in the financial situation that we are in, but I am lobbying hard on behalf of rural communities for the support…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation: Financial Support
It is absolutely key that we do that consultation and engagement so that whatever we do going forward is fit for purpose. On the future rural affairs policy, I will meet officials again next Monday, and, the next day, I will engage in a process of co-design with practitioners from community development in rural areas.…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation: Financial Support
Despite the cessation of the rural development programme post EU exit, I would like to reassure you that my Department continues to invest in and support our rural communities through a range of initiatives, including the tackling rural poverty and social isolation programme. Through TRPSI, my Department has invested…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation: Financial Support Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation: Financial Support
I have consistently said on the record that I am not into blame games because it does not get us anywhere. I am also on the record commenting on the statistics on the causations of poor water quality, and about a quarter of that is due to waste water infrastructure. We need to do a lot more in relation to that…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle
I am very aware of the impact of sewage pollution on our rivers, lakes and loughs in Northern Ireland. I do not think that it is acceptable for us to be pumping sewage into those waterbodies. That needs to be addressed, because it has an impact on our environment. That is why I will continue to support John O'Dowd in…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle
I thank the Member for his question. First of all, I am glad that we have got the environmental improvement plan agreed and published. I run marathons and, sometimes, getting things through the Executive is a bit more difficult than completing a marathon, but you train harder and succeed, and I am glad that we got…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle
The River Foyle, as part of the wider Lough Foyle catchment, is subject to the same routine monitoring and assessment of water quality as all other waterbodies in Northern Ireland. Reports of pollution are investigated by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the Loughs Agency, with enforcement action…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Sewage: River Foyle
This is one of the packages of measures that we are looking at as part of the future farm support development programme. We need to be able to encourage more people into the industry. My vision is that, in time, we will have a situation where more people want to get into the industry than there is availability. There…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Dairy Farmers Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Dairy Farmers
I thank the Member for his question. Often, in Northern Ireland, you are talking about family farms and businesses, and I take that seriously. That is why we are rolling out packages and measures in the future farm support programme. The focus of that is on building resilience in the industry, with the complete…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Dairy Farmers Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Dairy Farmers
I am aware of the issues that the Member has outlined about the closed period. I will be honest with him: given the current situation with water quality in Northern Ireland, I cannot move towards changing that closed period and would not have credibility with others in society if I were to change it. However, I…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Pollution: Slurry Run-off Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Pollution: Slurry Run-off
We all know that water quality in Northern Ireland is a significant concern, and the Office for Environmental Protection has issued comments on that. There is an Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) report on water quality that I will share with the Member. Approximately a quarter of the issues related to poor…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Pollution: Slurry Run-off Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Pollution: Slurry Run-off
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