Debate contribution: Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew McMurray on 12 October 2026.

MLA: Mr Andrew McMurray
Party at the time: Alliance Party
Date: 12 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill: Consideration Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5785915

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill in my capacity as infrastructure spokesperson for the Alliance Party. We have supported the general principles of the Bill and continue to do so. The three main aspects of the Bill are the implementation of temporary bans on water use, sustainable drainage systems and flood prevention and remediation. All those points have been addressed in depth at various points in the Bill's passage through the Chamber and Committee, so I will not dwell on them. However, at this stage, it would be remiss of me not to thank the Committee Clerk and the staff for their work and how they facilitated the scrutiny of the Bill. Likewise, the advice received from Assembly staff has always been of great help in assisting the Committee to arrive at its considered positions. Briefing papers compiled by RaISe staff have also been of great assistance. The Minister and Department were also responsive to many of the critiques made by the Committee, which allowed consensus to be reached. As we have heard from the Deputy Chair, we thank the Minister and her Department very much. Finally, the Committee took a collegial approach to the Bill throughout, so, at this stage, I thank the Deputy Chair and former Chair Mr Martin, who is not in attendance today but did a good job in facilitating some of the meetings. Thanks to all who responded to the consultation or gave evidence to the Committee. Part of the Committee process involved a visit to see how sustainable drainage systems work in Antrim town. Seeing that was very helpful, and I express my thanks to those who helped to facilitate that. The other visit involved bringing the Committee to Downpatrick. There, we heard of the challenges from Downpatrick businesses and Newcastle homeowners, who have, unfortunately, witnessed at first hand the destructiveness of flooding. Again, I thank them for their evidence at Committee. In my Second Stage speech, I expressed my hope that the Bill would strengthen resilience in the face of heavy rain and drought, help to reduce pollution and facilitate more environmentally friendly solutions to manage water resources. As I said then and repeat today, those are all important goals that the Alliance Party has championed for a long time. I have to admit that, at one point, I thought that the Bill would be a straightforward Bill to approve. Indeed, much of the Bill remained uncontroversial throughout Committee Stage, as reflected in the scarcity of amendments today. However, some issues were raised by way of advice on drafting, as the Deputy Chair touched on and explained in a bit more detail. All of those required a fair amount of back and forth with the Department and some compromise and goodwill on the Minister and Committee's behalf. I believe that a satisfactory solution has now been achieved, and, again, I thank the Minister and her Department for that. The amendments balance the need for constitutionality with the Department's legitimate desire to retain some flexibility and develop a more detailed evidence-based policy further down the road. We are happy to see this important Bill progress, and we support the proposed amendments. Thank you very much.

534 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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