Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
I am delighted that protecting Lough Neagh is a key priority in the Programme for Government 2024-27. It reinforces the need for the implementation of the science-led actions in the Lough Neagh action plan. We need collective action and support to continue on that journey. I am pleased to report that, of the 37…
There is a lot of misinformation that relates to the question that was posed by Mr Gaston. The proposals are in draft; no final decisions have been taken. I am blue in the face from saying that. It is not about doing what he outlined. It is about ensuring financial and environmental sustainability, which go hand in…
Minister, last Thursday, in Greenmount, I stood with over 900 farmers who are concerned by the apocalyptic cuts that will result from your nutrients action programme proposals to destock farms. How can you morally put forward proposals that will destroy farming and rob the next generation of their right to inherit a…
I am very conscious that granting those licences is a regulatory decision that sits with the Department for the Economy. I have to respect the process that is followed in relation to that. If the Member wishes to write to me about specific concerns around greenhouse gas emissions and that issue, I would be happy to…
Minister, do you believe that the granting of prospective mineral licences will impact on whether a climate action plan is deliverable, given their cross-cutting nature, and what do you believe will be the wider impact on our water and environment in general?
As Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, I worked with my Executive colleagues to make a bid to the UK Government for a just transition fund for agriculture. That bid was not successful in the Budget that came out at the end of October last year. I was not defeated. I worked on it, and I was able to…
Your tabled question for oral answer was about the climate action plan, which relates to greenhouse gas emissions. I will give people their say on that. There is a requirement to undertake a 16-week consultation as part of doing that. Once I get Executive agreement, we will go out to consultation on the climate action…
I thank the Minister for that response. Over 1,000 people attended a consultation event last week and roundly rejected the nutrients action programme (NAP) proposals. In under a day, around 2,000 people signed a petition launched by my colleague Michelle McIlveen, which calls for those proposals to be scrapped.…
The policies and proposals for consultation included in the draft climate action plan that relate to livestock focus on improving cattle productivity and harnessing the benefits of genetics and dietary interventions, not herd reduction. Improvements in livestock productivity are encouraged through a combination of the…
I have been engaging significantly with the UK Government. On the day of the agreement and in the days following, I had meetings with the UK Government, and I will continue to do that. It is important, as it is turned into a legal text, that the needs of Northern Ireland are shaped. I will also be in Brussels next…
We already have access to the single market for goods, including agri-food, and there has already been significant cooperation on an all-island basis. For example, the dairy industry has been able to take advantage of the benefits of the Windsor framework around access. The agreement is a reset in relations between…
Minister, given the fact that a lot of our food is produced on an island-wide basis, do you see any opportunities from the recent EU-UK agreement to enhance island-wide cooperation in the agri-food sector?
As always, I will continue to engage. I have been speaking to a number of people who have outlined the benefits associated with it and the benefits of our access to the single market for goods. That is an advantage that Northern Ireland has, more broadly, beyond agri-food. It is important that we take advantage of…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Expanding on that theme, has the Minister engaged with local producers to understand the practical effects of the agreement on cross-border trade and, indeed, market access?
The main benefit from the recent UK-EU agreement will arise from GB, Northern Ireland and the EU having the same regulations in the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) sphere and in a number of other agri-food areas. The commitment to align regulations should mean the removal of almost all SPS-related certification and…
I begin by drawing Members' attention to the total resource and capital expenditure on page vii of the Main Estimates document. It amounts to some £30·8 billion for services in Northern Ireland. Leaving out the non-cash items, the net requirement is some £27·4 billion. We should keep that figure in mind every time…
I am glad that the Member referenced the creative industries. Will he join me in congratulating the Deluxe Group in my constituency, which has received the King's Award for Enterprise in the category of international trade?
My colleagues on the Public Accounts Committee are looking at that issue. Hopefully, the PAC will release its report soon and establish who has primacy. The Committee is keen to get into the detail of the discussions, and it will seek clarity and confirmation that there are not reductions in resource spending and that…
I appreciate the Member giving way. You make some important points, particularly around the idea of new thinking about how to manage our budgets and progress reform. That is very important, and we look forward to meeting Mike Farrar to get the detail. You also make a point about the budget shortfall for Health. I…