1. Ms McLaughlin asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on the public consultation on the draft optimum remediation strategy for the site at Mobuoy. (AQO 598/22-27)

I wish to highlight from the outset that my Department remains fully committed to pursuing the perpetrators of this environmental crime through ongoing criminal proceedings, including ensuring that the polluter pays through confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Safeguarding public health, assuring safe drinking water and reducing the environmental impact of this crime are paramount. My Department will continue to deliver its comprehensive environmental monitoring programme at the site. That includes site inspections, regular monitoring of groundwater and surface water, daily laboratory testing of water quality at the NI Water drinking water abstraction point and working in partnership with NI Water. Detailed water quality monitoring reports are published on the DAERA website, and I am advised that, to date, there has been no adverse impact on the safety of drinking water supplied from the River Faughan.

A draft optimum remediation strategy to deliver the long-term remediation of the Mobuoy site, based on the best balance of environmental, social and economic factors, has been developed. A detailed risk assessment drawing on extensive site investigations and over seven years of monitoring has provided a robust evidence basis for a detailed appraisal of many remediation options and, subsequently, the development of the draft remediation strategy. The draft strategy has been developed in line with best practice and using guidance issued by the Environment Agency that applies to Northern Ireland. The next step in the process is to consult the public on the draft strategy. It is vital that we get it right, and I will ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to comment on the draft strategy. There is no agreed preferred option, and there will not be one until the consultation has been completed and the responses carefully considered.

I thank the Minister. I really appreciate the urgency with which he is taking action on the issue. The Mobuoy site has serious environmental implications, but it also has implications for our economy. It is holding up progress on the A6. Will the Minister detail how he will work with the Minister for Infrastructure to ensure that progress is finally made on that crucial issue and that the delay in one issue does not kill progress on the A6?

I thank the Member for her question. I understand the urgency to act on this matter, for many reasons, including in relation to the A6. I have briefly spoken to the Infrastructure Minister about it, and I continue to engage with him. There are other reasons for that as well: it is a site where an environmental crime is alleged to have occurred, investigations of which are ongoing and on which a justice outcome is being sought; and there is also an impact on the local community. In the time ahead, I will engage with Derry City and Strabane District Council, because it is a key issue for the people of the north-west.

Is the Minister or his Department aware of or examining any other dumping sites to ensure that a situation like that at Mobuoy does not develop again?

I thank the Member for her question. I am aware of other sites in Northern Ireland. The issue of environmental crime, particularly waste crime, is something that I take seriously. I have engaged with colleagues on how we can better ensure that we practise the "polluter pays principle" and secure proper outcomes from that. That means working with the organised crime task force and HMRC, and it also means resourcing the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). I will put a focus on it and engage with officials in the time ahead, because we need to eliminate waste crime in Northern Ireland.

The Minister indicated that there is no preferred option in the draft strategy. Has he estimated the costs of the options that will be published in it?

I thank the Member for his question. It is a key issue, and the potential costs have concerned me. To date, my Department does not have a cost estimate that has been assessed and approved through the required public finance processes and an approved business case. There are several reasons for that, and it is important that I outline them to the Member and the House.

First, my Department continues to pursue the perpetrators of the environmental crime through ongoing criminal proceedings and will, in line with the "polluter pays principle", strenuously seek to ensure that the polluter does pay. Secondly, my Department will shortly issue a public consultation on a range of remediation options for the site. Stakeholders' views are hugely important to me, and I want to ensure that those views are taken into account in choosing the remediation options. I am therefore not able to confirm stable costings now. Thirdly, a range of approval processes must be carried out to ensure that any remediation proposals are technically sound and cost-effective.

A number of months ago, I visited the Mobuoy site. The issue there is enormously complex. I am focused on it, and it is important that we find a way forward. We will start the public consultation in the time ahead.

What steps are being taken on the safety of drinking water?

I thank the Member for her question. The safety of drinking water is paramount, so she asks an important question. Safeguarding public health, ensuring safe drinking water and reducing the environmental impact of that crime are, as I said, paramount. My Department is committed, in partnership with Northern Ireland Water, to protecting the water quality of the River Faughan in order to safeguard drinking water in the north-west.

My officials have put in place a comprehensive environmental monitoring programme at the Mobuoy site. It includes site and riverbank inspections and detailed monitoring using international quality standards for on-site groundwater and surface water, together with daily laboratory testing of water quality at the Northern Ireland Water drinking water extraction point. Northern Ireland Water monitors water extracted from the River Faughan, water at various stages of treatment and final water supplied from the Carmoney water treatment works. Monitoring data is shared and interpreted by the NIEA and Northern Ireland Water.