Debate contribution: River Basin Management Plan

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 15 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

15 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

River Basin Management Plan

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4593021

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank all the Members who contributed to the debate. The importance of the issues outlined in the motion cannot be overstated, and I am grateful to Members for bringing them to the Floor today. In responding to the motion, I will outline the current position regarding the third cycle river basin management plan, which is in draft.

I also wish to use this opportunity to reassure Members that, while the plan has not yet been published, improving water quality in water bodies across Northern Ireland is one of my highest priorities.

The situation at Lough Neagh has been decades in the making. It is a sobering wake-up call for us all. As the Minister with primary responsibility for water quality, I accept that it is far from what it should be. There is no quick fix, but, while I do not underestimate the huge challenge that lies ahead, I am optimistic. I will advise Members of some of the important work taking place across DAERA that, I believe, will set us on the road to recovery. I turn first to the main topic of the motion: the river basin management plan. Under the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017, DAERA must review and update the river basin management plans every six years, setting out how water quality will be improved across Northern Ireland. The draft third cycle river basin management plan for 2021-27 takes an integrated approach to the protection, improvement and sustainable use of the water environment. It contains a programme of measures, setting out the actions required to protect and improve all water bodies — river, lake and marine, coastal and transitional — and groundwater. It was published in April 2021 for a six-month statutory consultation period. While the plan was finalised in October 2022, it could not be published without Executive approval due to its cross-cutting nature, and it now needs to be brought to the Executive for approval ahead of publication. However, there have been major developments in water quality issues since the draft river basin management plan was completed. We are all aware of the devastating impact of nutrient pollution on our waterways, particularly at Lough Neagh. The issues have been highlighted in reports from the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office for Environmental Protection, and our initial plan to tackle them head-on is outlined in the recently Executive-approved Lough Neagh action plan. The draft river basin management plan is being reviewed in the light of the findings and recommendations in those reports. As stated in the Lough Neagh report and action plan, the review will be completed by the end of December 2024 and subsequently published, subject to Executive approval. In particular, the Office for Environmental Protection's report, 'A review of implementation of the Water Framework Directive Regulations and River Basin Management Planning in Northern Ireland', which was published in September, makes 16 recommendations to the Assembly, Executive and DAERA. The recommendations aim to improve the effectiveness of the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 and their application, increase the likelihood and pace of meeting environmental objectives and the wider obligations and commitments that depend on them and strengthen their interaction with other measures.

I will not be able to take many more interventions because I need to get through my speech — it is important that I do so — but that is not a discourtesy to anyone else. I have to take the plan to the Executive for approval, so, hopefully, the Executive will agree it. I just need to abide by the law. My officials and I have already engaged constructively with the OEP. I welcome the report as a positive contribution to DAERA's focus on the water environment. I did not reject the report; I accepted the recommendations and have had constructive engagement with OEP. Furthermore, it is a timely reminder of the work that is required to improve water quality by not only the Government but the public and private sectors, including local government and the wider community. I am working with my officials to consider the recommendations in the report in detail and to provide a full response by the start of December, in line with the required time frames. I am aware of DAERA's statutory responsibilities with regard to publication of the river basin management plan, and I assure Members that I take them extremely seriously. On that basis, I am giving that work my highest priority, with a view to bringing the third cycle river basin management plan to the Executive for approval as soon as possible. In doing so, I will seek to achieve a balance between the completion of the delayed third cycle and being ready to take forward work on the next cycle. Following the Executive's approval of the Lough Neagh report and action plan on 18 July, my focus has turned to implementation. The motion demands immediate action, and I am committed to that reality. Before I continue, I will remind Members of what the report from the OEP stated by quoting from it:

"Publishing and implementing the final third cycle plan without further delay. The Covid pandemic, followed by the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive, have resulted in the delay to agreement, publication and implementation of the latest RBMP and many other plans and actions for environmental protection and improvement."

I will just finish the quote:

"This includes measures that should support implementation of the WFD NI Regulations, as well as wider initiatives such as the EIP."

Yes. I will stand here and be held accountable for what I do in the Department, but I will not be accountable for the stop-go government that has impacted on our environment and public services in Northern Ireland. I am working hard to address those issues. I am working hard to work with people, but I need time to do that. The loss of two years of this mandate is also affecting our ability to introduce legislation because we have a constrained mandate. I am focused on the future, but it was important that I quoted from the report. I am pleased to report that good progress has been made on a number of actions, including the development of the Lough Neagh science platform, the launch of two small business research initiatives and the implementation of the inter-agency blue-green algae monitoring protocol. I am fully committed to implementing the remaining actions as quickly as resources allow. However, it has always been clear that, given the size of Lough Neagh's catchment, the Lough Neagh action plan must be seen in the context of the environmental improvement plan. I was therefore delighted that that was published on 27 September, after approval by the Executive. It will deliver a cohesive and integrated approach to environmental protection, which is key for any meaningful, sustained improvement to water quality across Northern Ireland. In addition, although the river basin management plan remains in draft, I can assure Members that work to improve water quality is continuing while we await the publication of the plan. The short time allowed for this response precludes me from mentioning many more examples, but I can advise that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency has held several working group meetings for key stakeholders to consider sector-specific measures. Work is also continuing on the delivery of a number of initiatives, such as the soil nutrient health scheme. That scheme has been recognised globally as a way to provide farmers with data to help them improve their nutrient management, farm performance and environmental sustainability. That important scheme will help to address nutrient pollution, which has been identified as one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss, and that was highlighted in the OEP report that was published today. I welcome the report, and I intend to consider other policies and measures that will go some way to reducing pollution, improving habitat conditions and reducing biodiversity loss. DAERA's environment fund covers the water quality improvement strand of the grant funding, which is administered by NIEA and focuses on community and voluntary delivery of water quality improvement. In outlining actions to improve water quality, it would be remiss of me not to mention the excellent collaboration taking place with colleagues in Ireland and GB. I place the highest priority on engagement with colleagues in GB and Ireland. Sharing learning, expertise and knowledge will be crucial if we are to address the complex water quality issues that affect us all. It is something that I have mentioned at the North/South Ministerial Council and the inter-ministerial group. Finally, I need to mention resources. DAERA, like all other Departments, is working with a very tight budget, underpinned by significant resource pressures, and, while our ambition and determination remain high, the pace of progress in addressing the problems at Lough Neagh and other waterways across Northern Ireland will depend, to some extent, on the funding available. Achieving a substantial improvement in water quality will take many years due to the complex nature of the issues. The issues were decades in the making and will be decades in the fixing. The changes required are fundamental, and many will require significant investment. My vision is to have an environment, where our water bodies are at good status or better, support biodiversity and contribute to the health and well-being of everyone. There is a significant amount of work to do alongside our stakeholders, which will take time and resources. In the seconds that I have left to speak, I will mention two key actions that are critical in the weeks ahead. One is the publication and consultation on the nutrient action programme (NAP), which is critical. If Members are going to back the motion today, they need to back me on the actions that we need to take. The other is for us to work together to find a way to address the need for infrastructure investment in waste water infrastructure. We need to tackle the agricultural issues, but we also need to tackle the issues associated with waste water infrastructure. I am determined that whatever I do will be fair and proportionate.

1,695 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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