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.
107,655 records match, page 3973 of 4307.
I am very aware of the value and importance of the agri-food sector to Northern Ireland’s economy, with the agriculture and food processing sectors employing around 80,000 people. That is particularly significant in our rural and coastal areas. I was inspired by my visit last week to Roy Lyttle's farm in Newtownards,…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Agri-food Sector Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Agri-food Sector
I am very conscious of the issues associated with the restocking of our angling estate as a result of the issues with the fish farm. The issue that the Member raises is one of many that I am dealing with on coming into office. I have over 150 requests to meet and an inbox that is overflowing. There is a lot to do, and…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
Comhghairdeas to the new Minister of Agriculture on his post. One of my favourite childhood memories is catching a fish in a dammed river running off the slopes of Slieve Gullion, but there have not been any fish in that river for a long time. Has the Minister any policies to support the rewilding and replenishing of…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
We have seen with a number of issues, such as Lough Neagh, that the need for one has developed over time. We need an independent body that can have the foresight to call out an issue before it becomes a problem. We also need to have something that can guide not just the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
Minister, I, too, congratulate you on taking up the role. In some of your answers, you briefly touched on the benefits of an independent environmental protection agency. Will the Minister outline some of those benefits?
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I thank the Member for her question. As part of the environmental governance review, we need to look at how the Office for Environmental Protection is functioning and how it relates to Northern Ireland. I can see benefits associated with it where it has called us out on what we are doing, but does it have the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I congratulate the Minister on this his new role. Can he provide his assessment of the effectiveness of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) and, importantly, whether it has been fully funded to allow it to carry out its duties?
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I am aware of the issues associated with ownership of the lough. I am meeting the Earl of Shaftesbury this week. I am looking forward to that meeting, which will be frank and open. I will be very keen to see the outcome of the work that the Lough Neagh Partnership is doing. It has recently received National Lottery…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
Minister, I wish you well going forward, and I hope to work closely with you, particularly on the issue around Lough Neagh. Can we get some indication, Minister, of what meetings you have had or what plans you have to bring the lough back into public ownership? We know that this is one of the greatest obstacles to…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I thank the Member for his question. I would like to see that review carried out this year. Obviously, it depends on resources in the Department. The steps after that are that there will be a consultation with the public and then reliance on Executive colleagues to allow this to go forward. I seek to engage with all…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I thank the Minister, and I wish him well in his new position. Minister, as is obvious from your response, we both agree on the need for independent oversight to call out your Department, and indeed other Executive colleagues, on environmental issues such as the one that we have experienced, the ecological crisis in…
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Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I believe that good environmental governance is about focusing on environmental outcomes and ensuring that we have the optimal structures and processes in place to enable us to achieve those outcomes. My immediate priority, reflecting the statutory obligation placed on the Department, is to secure Executive approval…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Independent Environmental Protection Agency
I am indeed, and, as a constituency MLA, I met the chief executive of Northern Ireland Water on Friday. That issue is in one of its plans. Ballyholme beach has been plagued with issues of water quality, so we need to have a specific focus on how we can turn that around.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I welcome the Minister to his post. Can he confirm whether his Department is aware of any issues around agricultural run-offs or overflows from Northern Ireland Water outlets into the Cotton river, which enters the sea at Ballyholme bay, Bangor?
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I thank the Member for her question, and I would be delighted to do that. It is important to hear their concerns, which are not just in relation to water quality but about sampling and reporting so that people are aware when it is safe to swim. I will be happy to meet those groups.
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber today and congratulate him on taking up his new role. Will he join me to meet sea-swimming groups in North Down to discuss the impact that it is having on them when water quality does not meet expectations?
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I am very conscious that this is an issue that requires many Departments to feed into it. As I outlined in my answer, agricultural run-off and waste water infrastructure are two of the primary causes of pollution. We need to invest in waste water infrastructure, and I will be looking to my colleague in the Department…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I thank the Minister for his answer and congratulate him on his appointment. Last summer, as he will know, Brompton bay, Donaghadee bay and Ballyholme beach all failed minimum water quality tests and were given a poor rating by his Department. With the popularity of open-sea swimming and the European yachting event,…
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Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I thank the Member for his question; this is something that is very close to my heart. My Department seeks to improve water quality through the mechanisms outlined in the river basin management plans, which also cover coastal waters. Before bringing the third river basin management plan to the Executive, I will need…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Water Quality: North Down
I thank the Member for his question: there were two questions there. First, I have to declare that my stepfather is a quality manager with the A6 project from Dungiven to Drumahoe. In relation to that, I am aware of the concerns that this situation could impede the second phase of the A6. As for a public inquiry, I am…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project
I thank the Minister for his answers and congratulate him on his elevation to his new position. Given that this is not just a huge environmental crime but a huge economic one, is he minded to pursue a public inquiry? Given that his counterpart in DFI is citing the situation at Mobuoy as an impediment to the completion…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project
As the Member has outlined, the whole issue of environmental crime is a matter for concern, as is the need for enforcement around it. The people who are dumping are engaging in criminal activity, and, in Northern Ireland, we need to make sure that we are turning all our energies towards catching the perpetrators who…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project
The Minister will agree that Mobuoy is a scandal that, sadly, has gone unaddressed for far too long. What assurances can he give to the residents of the area, who, unfortunately, continue to live with this illegal dump and continue to deal with illegal dumping within and outside that site? What assurances can he give…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project
I recognise that remediation is expected to take a number of years to complete. An implementation plan and timetable for remediation remains subject to the outcome of upcoming public consultation and public finance approvals. The public consultation will give all interested parties the opportunity to comment on the…
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project
I welcome the Minister to his position and look forward to working with him as a member of the AERA Committee. I thank the Minister for outlining the next steps in the remediation project. Is it possible, at this stage, to give indicative timescales for any of those steps?
Assessment details for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project Official Assembly record for Debate contribution: Mobuoy Remediation Project
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