Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Environment
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 9 September 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statements
- Heading
- North/South Ministerial Council: Environment
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5086008
Read the official Assembly record
Text
No problem, Linda. I was in County Monaghan last year, when we had a North/South conference around water quality in respect of agriculture and the good work that is being done down South and up North. We have a sustainable catchment programme in Northern Ireland through which the Rivers Trust, which I met, delivers on-farm advisory support to farmers in the Upper Bann catchment area. I was impressed by that, but it needs to be broadened out. It is an action in the Lough Neagh action plan that the sustainable catchment programme be broadened out much more widely.
They have initiatives down South that are broader than those in the North. We need to take learnings from those and see whether there is a way to expand them in the North as part of the sustainable catchment programme. There are four pillars regarding the improvement of water quality in Lough Neagh and elsewhere: education, incentivisation, regulation and enforcement. Let us be clear: the focus ought to be on education and incentivisation, because it is much better if the problem does not occur in the first place. Yes, we need to have regulation and enforcement, but, if we have to resort to that, that is an example of failure. I want to invest in education and incentivisation, and that is why I need support from the Shared Island project, as I do not have the money in my budget to do it at present. I will work on a North/South basis on the issue and will continue to engage with my colleagues so that we can pull something together and deliver that on the ground. The Member mentioned engagement with people. It is critical that we bring people with us. I will keep my focus on that issue.
I have already addressed a number of the questions that the Member has outlined. There is no self-congratulatory tone from me. What unfolded over the summer was nothing short of a thundering disgrace. Year-on-year, we see the situation evolve on Lough Neagh, and, when I come to the House to look for support, I do not get it. Members need to support me in taking the difficult decisions. I welcome the constructive opposition that parties, including that of the Member through the recent motion, have given me, because we need to focus constructively on how to resolve this. I have already outlined my view on the arrangements that are in place for waste water infrastructure. I will need support from my Executive colleagues to ensure that there is equal and fair treatment across all the pollution elements regarding waste water pollution and the sewage that is going into our waterways. There is also a fundamental issue about whether we are serious about governing Northern Ireland. I am; I am up for taking difficult decisions. Others will have to decide in the next number of months whether they are as well.
487 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: 0.06 (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).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- 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 | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.05 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.06 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.91 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.08 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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