Debate contribution: Dog Fouling
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 13 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Dog Fouling
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4738311
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I do not have those statistics to hand, but my Department supports councils on the issue. In addition to overseeing the robust legislation that covers the fixed penalty notices that councils issue for dog-fouling offences, my Department is committed to reducing and preventing them. DAERA supports educational and promotional campaigns that are aimed at achieving behavioural change. Our environment fund directly supports Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful to deliver a number of programmes, including Eco-Schools, Live Here Love Here and its Adopt a Spot project, all of which promote a sense of civic pride and encourage individual environmental responsibility. I will write to the Member with the information, if we have it. It may not be available, however, because that information is collected by councils. The Member raises an important issue, and I am aware of it. Dog fouling was one of the issues that Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay men to be elected in the United States, campaigned on.
162 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.07 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.98).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.14 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.59 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.98 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.02 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.96 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.03 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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