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Mr Andrew Muir: Assembly records
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.
I am accountable to the House for matters that are under my direction and control, and I am happy to answer any questions during this Question Time. The ultimate denial of democratic accountability was two years — two years — when the Assembly did not sit. We could not debate the issues that we are debating today. We…
I previously wrote to the UK Government asking for an update on what the Member asked about in his question, and it is correct that the independent monitoring panel has not been established. However, I do not need panels to engage with the UK Government; I do that regularly. Before the election period, I was doing it…
The pollution incidents that the Member has outlined are really concerning for me, and there are too many of them. To have fish kills occurring days after each other is a real matter of concern, and we need to take action. It is important to get these plans agreed and turn the situation around. I am, unfortunately,…
I thank the Member for his question. The Loughs Agency was informed of a fish kill on a tributary of the River Roe near Burnfoot in Dungiven on 14 June, and that kill was confirmed as significant on 15 June. The Loughs Agency is leading the investigation and has powers of investigation and enforcement under the Foyle…
I received some feedback on the report, and I will be engaging with stakeholders on Wednesday. I am engaging with the Lough Neagh Partnership, the Northern Ireland Environment Link, the Ulster Farmers' Union and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association. I am looking forward to that engagement so that we…
I thank the Member for his question. I have the report here; it is ready to go. There are many actions that my Department is taking, some of which I outlined to Stewart Dickson. Our farm support and development programme is a significant programme to turn our farms towards an environmentally sustainable way forward.…
Although there are no quick fixes for the problems at Lough Neagh, I am pleased to provide an update on the actions that my Department is taking to tackle them. DAERA has led on the development of a report that contains evidence-based actions to tackle the blue-green algae blooms in the lough and secure longer-term…
My Department has provided approximately £622,000 to 67 projects across Northern Ireland over the lifetime of the scheme. The marine litter capital grants scheme was launched for three years in 2021-22, with the third and final year of funding ending in March 2024. The aim of the scheme was to tackle the litter that…
I thank the Member for his question. I am working on that with officials and want to progress it because it is important that we use those legislative tools to address the issues that are being discussed.
The House has to send a united message that that is wrong and that penalties are associated with it. I am keen to work with councils to see what more we can do to. My Department provides significant support to, for example, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful to tackle the scourge of littering at source. In the current…
Littering is a blight on our precious environment, and I am strongly committed to and actively working towards reducing the number of littering offences throughout Northern Ireland using the combined approach of legislation, education and enforcement. I am aware of the continuing problem of litter, especially in the…
I thank the Member for his question. I have outlined to the Committee the number of businesses that will be affected, and my officials have engaged on that. The number of businesses that will be affected is relatively small, but I understand the case that is being made in the Chamber and am happy to engage with the…
I thank the Member for his question. As I outlined, there is a farming with nature package that is a key intervention, and I am keen to see what support we can provide to specific sectors, particularly the horticulture sector.
My Department and I are against no one: we are trying to find a balanced way forward. The person in the Chair will be aware of the issues that we are discussing. I am happy to consider the issues further at the Committee.
I thank the Member for his question. He outlines clearly the case for 3 hectares. I am happy to attend the Committee in the week commencing 8 July and for that to be added to the agenda so that we can have a further discussion about it. I think that most people know that I want to engage with people and find a way…
I thank the Member for her question. There has been significant stakeholder engagement and consultation, primarily through the agriculture policy stakeholder group. I am aware of the figures in relation to the impact, but I am trying to balance future farm support policy in Northern Ireland. I get some of the concerns…
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will answer questions 4 and 9 together. As announced in March 2022, the new farm sustainability payment, which is planned to replace the basic payment scheme, will provide a balance between providing a safety net that will help a farm business to withstand shocks that are beyond its…
I thank the Member for her question. It is important that enforcement action that we take around environmental crime, particularly in relation to water pollution, is fair and balanced. I am aware of the concerns about Northern Ireland Water and the arrangements that are in place, which are known as "SORPI", between…
I thank the Member for his question. I am doing that and will continue to do so, because it is important that there is stakeholder engagement on the issues. I am aware of what was reported in the 'Spotlight' programme a few weeks ago. It was extremely difficult and concerning viewing not just for me but for the people…
I thank the Member for his question. The Member will be aware of the issues around establishing an environmental protection agency because a colleague of his held the Environment Ministry previously. It is something that I am taking up in the environmental governance review. I intend to make announcements over the…
I thank the Member for her question. She touches on a number of matters. Does the Northern Ireland Environment Agency have the resources that it needs? No, it does not, but I am reprioritising within my Department to give it what I can. I will bid in future Budgets for future years to see whether we can further…
The Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 serves as the pivotal legislative framework for Northern Ireland and governs the protection of the aquatic environment. The order also provides powers to take enforcement action against uncontrolled discharges that are a risk of pollution to the aquatic environment. A person…
I have looked at the sentencing framework for animal cruelty offences. I want to engage with stakeholders on the priorities for the time ahead, because we can prioritise that, but we also have to look at the other areas that we want to look at. I am aware of the frustration with the criminal justice outcomes, and I…
There is a lot of merit. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, announced on 7 May 2024 that he would introduce a regulation in the coming months to ban the use of manually operated, remotely controlled electric shock collars. The proposal by the Minister does not include anti-bark…
I thank the Member for his question. First, I put on record my thanks to the district councils for their work in relation to this. I am grateful for that, and we have good partnership working with regard to it. The Member will be aware that the budget settlement my Department received at the beginning of the financial…