Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 13 May 2024.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

13 May 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Independent Environmental Protection Agency

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4489319

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, and thanks to all those who contributed to the debate. I have quite a lot to cover in the response, so the number of interventions that I will be able to take is limited, but it is important that I respond in detail. The motion, essentially, has three specific components: first, a call to declare an ecological and biodiversity crisis; secondly, a call to acknowledge the complexity of the issues facing Lough Neagh; and, finally, a call to commit to bringing forward the relevant legislation to create an independent environmental protection agency before the end of the current mandate. I recall that, more than three years ago, on 3 February 2020 — a date that I fondly remember as the day that I gave my maiden speech to the House — the Assembly agreed a similar motion, albeit with a focus on the declaration of a climate emergency. Since that motion on 3 February 2020, we have seen the passing of two incredibly important pieces of environmental legislation: the Environment Act 2021, passed at Westminster, and the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, passed by this House. It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I support the motion and agree that appropriate action is needed to address the acute and chronic issues facing the environment, not only in Northern Ireland but across these islands and, more generally, globally. We clearly have an ecological and biodiversity crisis, and it is only through sustained action that we can begin to address all the issues that contribute to it. Those issues are many: climate change, biodiversity loss, water quality, degradation of peatland, air quality and single-use plastics, to name just a few. Properly addressing those issues will require political will, a strategic approach and significant investment — investment that I believe the environment and the people of Northern Ireland clearly deserve. Whilst my remit and that of the Assembly is restricted to Northern Ireland, we must remember that our actions or inactions contribute to wider issues created by the climate and the environmental emergencies facing our planet. I am Minister with responsibility for the environment. That is a responsibility that I take very seriously, but addressing the environmental issues that affect Northern Ireland does not come down to the actions of just one Minister or Department. It is for all of us collectively, as an Assembly and Executive, to take the necessary actions to deliver the strategic environmental outcomes that my draft environmental improvement plan will seek to achieve. I continue to work with Executive colleagues to finalise and agree the environmental improvement plan, which will be Northern Ireland's first environmental strategy. The six strategic environmental outcomes of the strategy are:

"• Excellent air, water, land and neighbourhood quality • Healthy & accessible environment & landscapes everyone can connect with & enjoy • Thriving, resilient & connected nature and wildlife • Sustainable production & consumption on land and at sea • Zero waste & highly developed circular economy • Net zero greenhouse gas emissions & improved climate resilience and adaptability".

Once the environmental strategy has been approved by the Executive, it is my intention to adopt it as soon as is practicable as Northern Ireland's first environmental improvement plan, thereby satisfying a statutory obligation of the Environment Act. Satisfying that statutory duty is important as a matter of law, but even more important is the potential to improve our environment before it is too late. The motion highlights the issues with the state of Lough Neagh. It would not be an exaggeration to state that Lough Neagh is the single highest profile environmental issue for the public in Northern Ireland. It is an extraordinarily complex issue that has been many years in the making and that will take many years to solve. There is no single cause but a combination of issues that have conspired to create a perfect storm. Those include climate change, invasive species, agricultural run-off and waste water discharge. My officials are fully focused on developing a report with recommendations for short-, medium- and long-term measures to address the fundamental issues that created the images that we have all seen in the media over the past number of years, months, weeks and days. That report should be finalised shortly and will support the actions that are relevant to improving water quality across Northern Ireland as part of the environmental improvement plan. There is no getting away from the fact that addressing the issues that affect Lough Neagh will require significant short-term and long-term investment. Whilst the Budget settlement was disappointing, I am now working with officials on how we can reprioritise funding into environmental protection. That will, however, mean that stuff cannot be done or rolled out, and other matters will have to be scaled back, such is the tough financial settlement within which I have to work. Turning to environmental governance, it is important to realise that that is about more than the creation of an independent environmental protection agency. As a long-time advocate of an independent agency in Northern Ireland, I am most certainly not diminishing the importance of establishing such a body, but good environmental governance is about more than a single issue. To me, good environmental governance means taking a strategic, whole-system approach. That will not only make our overarching approach better; it will make an independent environmental protection agency more fit for purpose and more effective. To that end, one of my first actions when I became AERA Minister was to ask officials to provide me with a scoping paper on strengthening environmental governance in Northern Ireland. That work is now done, and I am considering that paper and discussing next steps with my officials. I will announce those steps in due course. I believe that there are many benefits associated with the establishment of an independent agency, and I am not the only one who says that. Environmental stakeholders and, indeed, many members of the public have made clear their desire for an independent agency. For example, the responses to a discussion document, which was published by a previous Environment Minister in 2015, indicated that only 6% of respondents did not support an independent agency in some form. Nevertheless, it is important that we consider properly what that independent agency might look like, what its roles and responsibilities should be and how it should be funded. Of course, we also have to consider the changes in environmental governance that have taken place recently and further changes that are on their way. It may not be as simple as, for example, just making the current Northern Ireland Environment Agency an independent body, although, of course, that will be an option. I have looked at NIEA's counterpart organisations across these islands, all of which have a degree of independence from government. No two are exactly the same, whether in remit, degree of independence or resources, and none is as successful as others would like to be. We also have the Office for Environmental Protection, the role of which, sadly, is not well understood by many. The OEP was established as an independent environmental oversight body under the Environment Act 2021, to close the environmental governance gap that was created by the UK leaving the EU. I do not believe that that gap has been entirely closed, just to be correct. The OEP performs the extremely important role of holding public authorities to account for the proper implementation of environmental law in Northern Ireland. Its role is a vital component of the environmental governance landscape in the post-Brexit era, but that role is almost completely separate from the NIEA's. It is not a replacement for the NIEA, nor can it ever be. I remain committed to strengthening environmental governance administratively and through the introduction of new legislation where that is necessary, following full engagement and consultation. I look forward to the support of my Executive colleagues and the official Opposition as I seek to address the mistakes of the past and create a brighter environmental future for Northern Ireland.

1,353 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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