Marshalled list of amendments
11 October 2024
Item 4: Order Paper 57/22-27 – Tuesday 15 October 2024
Motion: Failure to Produce a River Basin Management Plan
Proposed:
That this Assembly expresses concern at the failure of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to consistently meet the deadline for the publication and implementation of a comprehensive River Basin Management Plan required under the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017; notes the findings of the recent Office for Environmental Protection report on water quality, published in September 2024, which highlighted significant shortcomings in Northern Ireland’s water management, including the persistent failure to meet water quality standards, the deterioration of river and lake ecosystems, and the lack of effective mitigation measures to address pollution; expresses reservations as to whether the Lough Neagh Action Plan has the ability to deliver meaningful improvements in water quality without an updated River Basin Management Plan; recognises that without an effective River Basin Management Plan, there are cross-border environmental, public health and economic consequences, including increased flood risks, threats to biodiversity, and an adverse impact on sectors which are reliant on clean freshwater sources, including agriculture and tourism; affirms the importance of holding the Department accountable for its statutory obligations under environmental law; demands immediate action to reverse the ongoing deterioration of Northern Ireland’s water quality; and calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to urgently finalise, publish and implement an updated River Basin Management Plan ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are fully engaged in the process.
Leader of the Opposition
Amendment
Leave out all after ‘to address pollution;’ and insert:
‘recognises that without an effective River Basin Management Plan, there are cross-border, environmental, public health and economic consequences, including increased flood risks, threats to biodiversity and an adverse impact on sectors which are reliant on clean freshwater sources, including agriculture and tourism; affirms the importance of holding the Department accountable for its statutory obligations under environmental law; demands immediate, proportionate action to reverse the ongoing deterioration of Northern Ireland’s water quality, comprising all sectors of society; and calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in line with commitments contained in the Lough Neagh Action Plan, to complete his Department’s review of the draft third cycle River Basin Management Plan, and bring forward a programme of strategic measures to improve water quality, by December 2024, whilst ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are fully engaged in the process.’
[Miss Michelle McIlveen]
[Mr Tom Buchanan]
[Mr William Irwin]
