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.
Minister, no one understands the environment more than farmers. Farmers work in the environment every day, from the moment they get up until the moment they finish their very long day. Minister, in order to rebuild confidence among farmers, do the terms of reference for the independent review permit Dr Blake to…
When I took up office, I took a pledge to serve all the people of Northern Ireland equally, which is something that other people struggle to do. I am the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. An awful lot of people seek to speak on behalf of farmers. I will quote from one of the letters that I have…
Does the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs agree with me that his duty is to serve the entirety of Northern Ireland within the full remit of his Department, as opposed to being beholden to one vested-interest group?
I can give the Member that assurance. It is important that we look at all issues that relate to that operation. As the Member knows, and as many people know but fail to recognise publicly, the operation at Fivemiletown was neither authorised nor directed by me. I ordered an independent external review of that…
Minister, you mentioned Fivemiletown and the impact of that operation in my constituency. When it comes to the independent review that you mentioned, will you ensure that there will be full transparency and accountability and that you will publish the review's findings and recommendations in full, including any…
I expected better from you, Harry. Farmers deserve an apology, and it is the DUP that needs to offer it. Look at the legacy that I inherited. Very little action was taken on TB. There was unlawful action on ammonia. Northern Ireland was treated as an environmental sacrifice zone. The situation that the DUP left for me…
Minister, farmers have no confidence in you or your Department. That is a damning indictment. Will you be able to win back that confidence, or should you step aside for someone who will?
My officials and I continue to engage directly and regularly with the farming community and its representative bodies on the work that my Department does in order to ensure open dialogue, practical engagement and continued partnership working. That engagement takes place through established forums, including the…
Thank you very much, Danny. I get the concerns that we need to be moving towards remediation of the site. We have adopted the remediation strategy, and the steps ahead of us relate to that. We need to get the costings for remediation, followed by business case approval and the formal adoption of the remediation…
I will publish the remediation strategy for Mobuoy once the costings are finalised and are with me. I will meet you later this year to discuss the issue.
Minister, given the significant community impact, will you ensure full transparency and accountability and publish the review's findings and recommendations in full, including any lessons learned and actions to be taken?
Thank you. I look forward to meeting you next week to discuss the issue further. The concerns relating to drinking water are of real importance. That is why we carry out daily testing. We have an environmental monitoring programme there, and we publish the results on the internet. We can have more discussion next week…
Minister, can you provide an update for residents who live close to the Mobuoy site to reassure them about the drinking water, particularly those who do not have access to the internet?
Thank you, Sinéad. I have had meetings with the current and previous Finance Ministers to highlight the potential costs of remediation. I need to know the final estimated costs, and we will get those in the next few weeks. Engagement with Treasury is primarily for the Department of Finance, which will take that…
I thank the Minister for that answer. We have recently seen the British Government step in to support a £6 million clean-up of a major illegal dump in Oxfordshire where more than 22,000 tons of waste was removed. Given the greater scale that we face in Mobuoy, has the Minister engaged directly with the British…
The updated draft remediation strategy, informed by consultation feedback and supported by significant additional technical work, was presented to me in May this year. There has been significant work to bring the draft remediation strategy to this stage, and further important decisions will be required regarding the…
At the moment, it is exceptionally difficult. Without a Budget, of course, it becomes more challenging to ensure that the full Budget envelope is rolled out for any of those particular issues, but we are doing what we can. I really welcome the fact that, across Departments, we have been able to find a pragmatic way…
It is hugely difficult at the moment. We do not have a Budget. I want a Budget, and there needs to be a Budget as soon as possible. As I have outlined, the implications of agreeing an inadequate Budget are sweeping and damaging cuts across every Department, including and particularly Health, Education and Justice. We…
The process that the Member refers to as "vetoes" is at the heart of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, and it is about inclusivity. It is about making sure that any significant, controversial or cross-cutting issue will not be decided by one party in isolation, which happened back in the early days. Indeed, it is the…
I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. Does she agree that the next Executive will never be able to deliver fully on the public's priorities unless we reform Stormont to remove vetoes from our system of government?
The reality is that we need things to work better. I want things to work better, whether that be project delivery in Departments, efficient public services in our arm's-length bodies or the spirit of consensus and compromise that we need to see in the Executive Committee. Importantly, at the heart of this is the fact…
I advise people to step back and look at their own positions at times. Some people are very good at running around talking about others imposing their cultural identity on others or where it is not wanted. Yet, when it comes to something that they feel passionate about, such as the Irish language, they have no such…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policyCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics, Controversy escalation.
Unfortunately, you did not answer the question. The fleadh showed that Orange culture was represented and respected. Given what you said, and if you are sincere in your words about somebody else's culture, namely Irish, not threatening yours, is your ministerial colleague Gordon Lyons willing to withdraw his legal…