Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency

Debate contribution by Mr Daniel McCrossan on 10 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Daniel McCrossan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

10 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Independent Environmental Protection Agency

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5437342

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Not a chance. I support the motion with the amendment and welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. I do so because, if we are to have a serious discussion about the important issue of environmental governance in Northern Ireland, we must deal with it with honesty and ambition. Yes, the commitment to exploring the establishment of an independent environmental protection agency was included in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, but it is true to say that that commitment was not reaffirmed when the Executive were restored in February 2024 and does not feature in the Programme for Government. That is a fact, and it is right that the Opposition have acknowledged it. The central issue, however, is the growing environmental crisis facing Northern Ireland and the failure of the current system to respond with the urgency that is absolutely required.

Our environment is in crisis, and the Executive have been unable to deliver meaningful change in response. You only have to look at Lough Neagh, which we have talked about for a long time, to see that that is the case. It is badly polluted, and a problem that will take many years, if not decades, to fully repair has been subject to piecemeal interventions. The issue extends far beyond Lough Neagh: many of our rivers and waterways are failing; biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate; and poor air quality is contributing to illness and premature death. Our response to the climate emergency has lacked urgency and coordination. If we are serious about turning this around, we need a truly independent environmental protection agency that has the authority to enforce the law and hold the Executive to account. The AERA Minister has made clear that he has been unable to secure Executive agreement for an EPA due to the blockage from the DUP, yet there is clear public and Assembly support for stronger, independent environmental oversight. We will not take a DUP "No" or "Never" for an answer. That is why the SDLP —.

I have a lot to get through, Minister, but I will let you in in a bit. The SDLP Opposition are bringing forward an amendment to the Financial Provisions Bill to try to ensure that the issue is debated and voted on by the Assembly. It is amazing that the DUP's only defence is, "No more quangos". That is pretty weak, given that the DUP could not wait to get the East-West Council, which has done very little, up and running. The scale of the —.

Dame Buckley, I will let you have your seat. Sit down. Thanks very much. You can come in later. The scale of the environmental challenges that we face demands leadership, and no party should be allowed to block necessary reform because of narrow political dogma. The SDLP will do all that it can to deliver an independent EPA — we will use every mechanism available to make that happen. One of our most precious natural resources is badly polluted and facing years, if not decades, of recovery; you only need to look at the Mobuoy dump to see one of the largest environmental crimes on these islands; many of our rivers and waterways are failing to meet basic environmental standards; and, as I said earlier, air pollution is contributing to many of the illnesses in society and needs to be dealt with. The SDLP is not prepared to allow the veto from the DUP to continue. If environmental reform is needed, it should be debated and decided by the Assembly, not quietly blocked behind closed doors by one party. No single party should be able to prevent necessary reform simply because it does not suit its political position. That is the contradiction at the heart of this debate. We hear concern being expressed about Lough Neagh, and we have heard across the Floor about pollution and environmental decline, yet, when proposals are brought forward to strengthen oversight and accountability, the DUP suddenly discovers reasons to delay or block. The First Minister was quick to go up Lough Neagh in a boat, after the SDLP, to point out how horrific the situation was. However, when the hokey-cokey party that is in government with the DUP — Sinn Féin — walked into the Chamber and voted differently on the NAP proposals, and then walked backwards and did a one-eighty very soon after that, as a result of pressure from the Opposition, it was not difficult to see who was speaking out of both sides of their mouth on the issue. If we want to tackle the environmental crisis that faces Northern Ireland, the DUP and Sinn Féin need to drop the wind-blowing-, hokey-cokey-type approach. You need to prioritise the issue. If we are serious about bringing about environmental reform, saving Lough Neagh and listening to our people, you need to get on with the job of governing this place, putting your political agendas aside and putting the environment first, because these games are not washing with anyone.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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