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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.
Event duration monitors could play a key role in near-real-time reporting and therefore improve transparency and keep users informed of water quality at bathing waters. The technologies monitor the event and duration of spills from combined sewer overflows. That could improve public messaging, enabling more informed…
My Department has launched a 12-week public consultation on proposed measures as part of the bathing waters policy review for Northern Ireland. The consultation seeks views on a range of proposals to modernise and improve the bathing waters programme. They include how bathing water information is communicated to…
The Member is correct to raise that issue. Alongside the Bill, there will be statutory guidance on the exercise of the powers. It is important that we understand that dilapidation affects not just cities and towns but villages. The Bill will give discretionary powers to councils, and it is important that councils…
Thank you, David. It was good to be in your constituency to see what the potential power of the Bill could be. The Bill is an example of what the House should be doing, which is enabling people to do good for their local communities. Most of the powers that are available to councils currently are from the Victorian…
As I have outlined, the Bill's powers are discretionary. It is really important to have a wider perspective on the matter. Where there are dilapidated buildings in neighbourhoods, towns, villages and cities, that takes them potentially off the rates base and makes it less likely that people will invest in the area. It…
Thank you, Sinéad. The Dilapidation Bill will consolidate and modernise outdated Victorian legislation in order to help regenerate our cities, towns and villages by giving councils the powers to better tackle the issue of dilapidation. There has been significant engagement with local government, and I thank them for…
I met local government representatives recently to discuss a variety of issues around the Dilapidation Bill. My officials have maintained regular and extensive contact with council officials throughout the Bill's progress. I have consistently highlighted the fact that no discrete funding has been provided in respect…
From 1 April 2015 to 20 May 2026, my Department received a total of 61,969 planning consultations across all planning authorities. Of those, 26,241, or 42%, were identified as re-consultations. Re-consultations can range from one re-consultation or, in the case of one planning application, to 16. We have been asked 16…
I am conscious of the frustrations. Some of it also relates to wider policy issues and the need to reduce our ammonia emissions. We are working intensively with stakeholders to agree a way forward on that. There is a significant and sustained response from NIEA through the planning improvement plan. We seek to turn…
I will write to the Member to set out the actions that we have taken through the planning improvement plan and the further actions that we plan to take. We are putting effort into it, because we recognise that people need to get responses more promptly. We require help from other parts of the planning system, whether…
With an overall performance rate of 65% for statutory planning applications during 2025-26, I recognise that, in recent years, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's (NIEA) statutory planning consultation performance has fallen below the expected standard. My officials are committed to doing better through delivery…
The climate action plan, which is from 2023 to 2027, does not recommend herd reduction. We are following a way forward with the science that we can use to deliver productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are working with the farming community to deliver that. It is important that we not only heed the…
The Department is committed to supporting the agriculture sector on climate change. That is delivered through the sustainable agriculture programme. Over £300 million in funding support is provided. We are the only part of the UK that has that ring-fenced, and I was delighted to do that. What is more, we are setting…
Thank you, John. The locked-in impacts of climate change are already being felt in the agriculture sector through the increased frequency and severity of storm events; increased rainfall; extreme heat events and droughts; and new, climate-sensitive pests and pathogens. Changing weather patterns are affecting crop…
I am very aware of the importance of our agri-food sector to our economy and, more than that, to our rural way of life. We are seeking to strike a balance between the two. The legislation that is being implemented was passed by my predecessor, and the 2022 DUP manifesto trumpeted it. Your change of approach to the…
The sustainable agriculture programme, through its four key outcomes of improved environmental sustainability, enhanced productivity, stronger resilience and an effective supply chain, provides the core policy levers to deliver emissions reductions in the first carbon budget period and plays a central role in meeting…
The impact is significant. My Department is actively seeking to improve its planning performance rates. Reapplications and re-consultations increase the planning caseload and put pressure on performance, however. It is therefore vital that reapplications and re-consultations include the environmental data and…
As I set out in my previous response, I am respectful of the fact that Shared Environmental Services was set up by councils, so, ultimately, the remit for it sits with them. I will say to Members, however, that, when it comes to collaboration across local government, we all have representatives on NILGA, and they have…
I will meet Shared Environmental Services on Wednesday. I am respectful of the fact that it is a shared service that has been set up by councils, so the authority sits with them. I have asked for a representative from the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) to be at that meeting, because councillors…
My officials have discussions with SES about various planning issues as and when they are needed. I will be meeting SES representatives in the near future. Some recent engagements between my officials and SES have related to habitats regulations assessment requirements associated with poultry applications, including…
Significant action is already being taken on that. We have increased the level of testing, and we will go out to procurement on biosecurity advice to farmers. We are doing that in partnership with people, and that is why it is important that we have the stakeholder group. We will consult on wildlife interventions, and…
Thank you, Patsy. Your latter question is more of an issue in the South of Ireland than in the North, but I acknowledge that deer are part of the wildlife issues that we need to consider. On the vaccination programme, DEFRA is conducting a trial on that. It is being conducted in north Wales, as far as I am aware. I…
There is significant engagement, whether through my involvement in the North/South Ministerial Council or through officials, who engage on an ongoing basis. There are also practical measures such as the regionalisation initiative that we are now delivering through the Shared Island funding. I am committed to…
Tackling bovine tuberculosis is a key priority for me as Minister. The impact that the disease is having on the farming community is unacceptable. The cost to individual farmers and government is unsustainable. I was therefore pleased to endorse the 'Bovine Tuberculosis in Northern Ireland: Blueprint for Eradication',…
The draft Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 That the draft Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 be approved.