Question Time: Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Tuesday 2 March 2021

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Gordon Lyons answers Members questions in the Assembly Chamber 1 March 2021. Read the Official Report (Hansard) – https://lk.nia.fyi/3HMG

Each of the questions answered have been chaptered in the video to help you find them more easily.

Chapters / Questions
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00:00 – Avian Influenza
1. Mr G Kelly asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on levels of avian influenza. (AQO 1671/17-22)

05:56 – Agri-food Industry: COVID-19 Support
2. Mr Buckley asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on his Department’s £25 million COVID-19 financial support package for the agri-food industry. (AQO 1672/17-22)

14:31 – Illegal Dumping
3. Mr Humphrey asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what progress is being made on addressing illegal dumping. (AQO 1673/17-22)

22:20 – Waste Water: Coronavirus Monitoring
5. Ms Bradshaw asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on the monitoring of waste water containing the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. (AQO 1675/17-22)

26:02 – Animal Welfare
6. Mr M Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what resources are available to local councils to address animal welfare concerns. (AQO 1676/17-22)

Topical Questions
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29:06 – Mullaghglass Landfill: Smell
T1. Mr Butler asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on the work being undertaken by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the owner of Mullaghglass landfill to eliminate the smells that emanate from that site, something about which he has written to him and to a number of elected representatives in the Lagan Valley area. (AQT 1061/17-22)

31:48 – Ministerial Decisions: Executive Agreement
T2. Dr Archibald asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, given that his instruction to DAERA officials last Friday was, under the terms of the ministerial code, both cross-cutting and controversial, whether he accepts that only the Executive can take such a decision. (AQT 1062/17-22)

34:15 – Garden Centres: Reopening Arrangements
T3. Mr Newton asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether he is supportive of garden centres reopening in a safe and appropriate way, given the health benefits to the public of working in their garden and, indeed, the need for the businesses to be open at this time owing to their very limited window of business activity. (AQT 1063/17-22)

37:31 – Protocol Port Checks: Changes
T4. Ms Kimmins asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, after stating that she finds it interesting that the Minister and his colleagues are now interested in the impact on the people in the North, given that they were not so interested in that impact when they were pushing through a hard Brexit, whether he can confirm her understanding that there have been no changes to the arrangements at the port since last Friday. (AQT 1064/17-22)

39:11 – Protocol: Risks to Retailers
T5. Mr Clarke asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to outline the risks that were identified at a meeting that his predecessor held with some retailers in January. (AQT 1065/17-22)

41:44 – Protocol: Full Implications for NI
T6. Ms Bunting asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, given that we all know the saying, “There are none so blind as those who will not see”, which is applicable to some of the warnings that have been issued in relation to the protocol and goods in the internal market, to spell out the full implications for Northern Ireland of the rigorous implementation of the protocol. (AQT 1066/17-22)