Patsy McGlone has given notice of a question for urgent oral answer to the Minister for Infrastructure. I remind Members that, if they wish to ask a supplementary question, they should rise continually in their place. The Member who tabled the question will automatically be called to ask a supplementary question.

Mr McGlone asked the Minister for Infrastructure, in light of recent reports and public concern regarding the taste and odour of the public water supply, to update the Assembly on measures being taken by NI Water to resolve these issues.

NI Water's number-one priority is the quality and safety of your drinking water. I am aware of a number of customers who have reported a taste and smell in their drinking water supply in specific areas. This is related to increased algae levels in Lough Neagh that contain naturally occurring compounds that may cause an unpleasant taste and smell even after going through NI Water's robust treatment process. NI Water is working to reduce the impact of those compounds as they move through the water supply system and is working closely daily with the drinking water inspectorate (DWI) and the Public Health Agency (PHA) to ensure that the water is safe to drink. I can confirm that NI Water has confirmed to me that the water is safe to drink. Processes have included enhanced sampling of the network treatment works, the distribution network and customer taps.

Go raibh maith agat, a Aire, as bheith anseo leis na freagraí a thabhairt dúinn.

[Translation: Thank you, Minister, for being present to provide us with answers.]

I had numerous reports at the tail end of last week about foul tastes and odours from the water supply. Young mothers are afraid to give it to their babies through the food that they are providing. I have had a lot of calls about foul taste and foul odours; indeed, I found it in the tea and coffee as well.

Can the Minister say today, if he has the information with him, whether additional or extra chemicals have been added to the water supply? If so, what are they? Secondly, the Minister mentioned the testing mechanisms: what testing is being done, where and how often to ensure the fitness of the water for human consumption?

Let me emphasise this again: NI Water has confirmed to me that the water coming out of our taps is safe to drink and use. My home is impacted on by this. I use the water in my home and have young children, and I obviously do not want it to impact on my health. I accept that there is an unpleasant taste and smell for drinking-water purposes. Some people may wish to have bottled water or other water for that purpose. For all other purposes, the water is safe, and it is safe to drink as well.

As for which chemicals are used, I will follow up in writing to the Member. NI Water has a very robust regime in place to ensure that the water that comes out of our taps is safe to drink. I recently visited one of its water treatment processing plants and was impressed by the nature of the studious activity that was going on to ensure that we are supplied with clean drinking water daily.

The strong taste and odour that people are getting at the moment is not from a chemical but from a naturally occurring compound in the water. It is a timely reminder to us all, if we needed it, that we need to look after our natural resources. We need to look after Lough Neagh. We need to ensure that the action plan that was published by the AERA Minister is advanced and enacted and that we tackle not just the years but the decades of neglect of Lough Neagh. While algae continue to bloom on the lough, NI Water faces considerable challenges in producing clean drinking water for us, but it is producing clean drinking water for us.

Minister, many of our Upper Bann constituents have faced foul-smelling and foul-tasting drinking water in recent days. You outlined how NI Water has said that the water is safe to drink. If, however, a constituent came to us and said that they smelled, for example, mould from a packet of ham or foul odours from a drum of milk in their fridge, we would not advise them to eat or drink it. How sure can we be that it is not the same with the water? Does the Minister have a timescale for when NI Water feels that it will have the issue satisfactorily resolved?

I am satisfied with the assurances that I have received from NI Water on the quality of our drinking water. As I said, my home was impacted by this, and I am using the water in my home. I accept — I do not dismiss — anyone's concerns. It is a genuine concern: if you turn on your tap and there is a foul odour coming out of it, you rightly ask questions and rightly contact elected representatives and NI Water.

The water is inspected by NI Water. It is inspected and regulated by the independent drinking water authority as well. NI Water is liaising with the Environment Agency and councils in that regard, so we can give ourselves a number of independent assurances that the water coming out of our taps in some areas, even if it has a foul odour, is safe to use.

Minister, I know that, like me, you have been working closely with NI Water over the past week or so to alleviate the concerns of all our constituents about the water. You have outlined that the issue is the result of years — decades — of neglect of Lough Neagh, in particular, and that is why we have the situation with blue-green algae and the problems that people are finding with their water.

May we have a question, please?

Minister, will you commit to working with the AERA Minister to ensure that the action plan for Lough Neagh is implemented as a matter of urgency?

I commit to working with the AERA Minister; indeed, the Executive have committed to working with the AERA Minister. I note that the action plan is also referenced in the draft Programme for Government. It is abundantly clear to us all that the abuse of our natural environment over decades is coming back to haunt us. As I said, the ongoing blue-green algae blooms in Lough Neagh present challenges to NI Water in producing fresh, clean drinking water. We are receiving fresh, clean, safe drinking water through our taps, but we have to take on the challenge of where the odour and smell are coming from. They come from the algae in the lough. That presents huge problems to the environment and biodiversity of Lough Neagh. It is right and proper that other Ministers and I support the AERA Minister in his action plan to take that on.

A key part of ensuring that our water is safe to drink is ensuring that the waste water infrastructure operates as it should. What steps are you and your Department taking to work with Northern Ireland Water to improve its waste water treatment sites?

The Member is absolutely correct. One of the causes of the algae blooms in Lough Neagh is foul water entering the lough in too high a concentration and too often. I am working with my Executive colleagues to increase the funding available to NI Water to upgrade the relevant water treatment works. I am looking at changing the legislation on developer contributions. Recently, I also had a policy passed at the Executive to allow me to go forward and draft legislation on sustainable drainage, so that we work with nature instead of against nature in how we separate and deal with storm water etc. That is so that we can store it and release it into the system more slowly than has been the case. When it is released more slowly into the system, it does not overrun at our waste water treatment works. Three steps are at play at the moment. I am thankful that my Executive colleagues are working with me on the budgetary issue. As I say, the other issues are moving forward as well.

Thank you, Minister, for your remarks so far. You will be aware that, particularly around Antrim and my Constituency of South Antrim, there are concerns about the water supply that are linked to what is happening in Lough Neagh. There is a really significant issue of messaging here. How can we upgrade the messaging so that people are not concerned, so that the best messaging gets out there and it is clear that drinking water is safe?

I welcome the opportunity presented by the question for urgent oral answer to, once again, reaffirm that message: water is safe to drink and use. As I said, rigorous tests are carried out on water daily at source, through the treatment stage and at customers' taps. If any customer has continuing concerns about their water, they should report those directly to NI Water. In fairness to NI Water, it will not be able to go to everyone's homes to test water directly from the tap, but it is taking sample tests in the affected areas, and those are being tested as well. As I said, my home has been impacted, and I am using the water. I understand people's genuine concerns — I am not dismissing any of them — but the water is safe to drink.

The press statement from NI Water on Friday indicated that over 40% of the water that goes to homes across Northern Ireland comes from Lough Neagh. NI Water is now dealing with an issue that it has been contributing to for decades: the grey water that flows into rivers each day. Farmers across Northern Ireland have said to me, "Look at that grey water". To be honest, NI Water is not taking the responsibility that it should. What is NI Water doing to address the issue that it has contributed to and is now trying to deal with?

I put it this way to the Member: we have all contributed to it. We have all taken the lough for granted for far too long, and we are now seeing the consequences of that. What is NI Water doing? NI Water needs the resources and support to upgrade its waste water treatment works, where required. I am working with NI Water to ensure that every penny that we spend is used as efficiently and effectively as possible. I am working with my Executive colleagues to secure further funding for NI Water.

I mentioned the sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) Bill to one of our colleagues earlier. It looks not only at holding back floodwater and releasing it into the system more slowly but at another issue that causes significant damage to our environment: wrong or illegal connections, where foul water runs into storm drains. That can happen if an extension is put on a property, if a washing machine is put in a garage or whatever it may be. The legislation will allow NI Water to work with the property owner, so that either the property owner will correct that connection or NI Water will correct it and charge the property owner for that mis-connection. We are taking a number of steps.

As I said, we have all taken Lough Neagh for granted for far too long. We have to stop doing that.

The Minister mentioned discussions with Executive colleagues, and I understand that. Will he tell us as precisely as possible about his long-term plans to ensure that Northern Ireland Water has the funding that it needs to upgrade the waste water infrastructure and address the problems with Lough Neagh? What measures are being considered to achieve that?

As I previously outlined, working with my Executive colleagues is part of the long-term plan. Unfortunately, we have been dealing with one-year Budgets over a period, which makes it difficult for a Minister, the Executive or, in this case, a government-owned company to plan for the future with real certainty. Hopefully, that will change after the current spending round.

Working with nature is also a way forward. We will need hard engineering solutions; there is no question about that. We will need tens of millions of pounds to put those hard engineering solutions in place, but we also have to work with nature and ensure that we use it through SuDS or other measures to contain the deluges that we face as a result of climate change. We will work on legislation and see whether we need to change legislation and what that will look like to allow for developer contributions to waste water treatment works, pumping stations or whatever it may be. We need to ensure that houses, factories and schools are built, and that they are connected to a system that is safe, secure and environmentally robust.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. We know that the system needs to be significantly upgraded and that we have more pollution incidents per kilometre of pipework in Northern Ireland. As the Minister said, the prioritisation of clean drinking water is important. Capacity in our system is also an issue. Will the Minister tell us, in light of the Programme for Government, what detailed discussions have been taking place about the investment strategy on our waste water treatment and the timelines for that to come to fruition?

Any investment strategy has to include an investment strategy for NI Water. It will not work without NI Water having access to the resources that it requires or that can be delivered during an investment strategy period. Those discussions are ongoing.

In fairness to my Executive colleagues and the main players in the debate, everyone recognises that NI Water needs more resources, but it is competing against Health, Education and all those things. We have to work together to map out a way forward. As I said in response to a number of questions today, there is a three-pronged strategy: having more direct investment in NI Water, seeing what new legislation on developer contributions might look like, and working with nature through programmes and the provisions in the SuDS Bill.

Minister, I welcome your clarity on the safety of the drinking water and your commitment to the Lough Neagh action plan, but there is, with the greatest respect to the Minister involved, a lot of inaction in the action plan. There is not a huge amount of clear legislative or financial commitment. You said that there was independent assurance about the water, but the truth is that we do not have independent assurance, because we do not have an environmental protection agency. Will you join the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister to do all that you can to ensure that that one deliverable thing is included in an updated Programme for Government?

Let me be clear: there is independent assurance about the water. NI Water does its tests; the independent drinking water inspectorate carries out tests; we work with our colleagues in NIEA who carry out tests; and local councils can carry out tests. The water is robustly tested to assure citizens that, if they are connected to the public system, it is safe to turn on their tap and that clean drinking water will come out of it.

I am happy to support an independent environmental protection agency. To be perfectly honest, I do not know what role such an agency would have in testing water. It may be another layer, but if that would assure the Member, let us have another one. I am satisfied that there is sufficient independence around the testing of our water quality for me to stand here and reassure our constituents and myself that we can use the water that is coming out of our taps.

I thank the Minister for that, because it is really important that our constituents hear that reassurance. The problem that has occurred is a particular one, and my colleague asked for a timescale for resolving it. Does the Minister have such a timescale?

I suspect that it will depend on the weather. I understand that we are in for a number of mild days. Mild weather encourages algae blooms in the lough, which last for a period of time. That means that we have to deal with that when we take water out of the lough through our water treatment works. I cannot give you a timescale. A reduction in temperature and, unfortunately, some rain and wind are required to break up the algae blooms. That will allow us to move ahead and take water out of the lough without such an input of algae blooms. We will, however, come back to this next year and in the years after that. Even fully committing, as I do, to the action plan published by the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, we are involved in a long-term challenge here. We all have to recognise that. As I said, it might be a timely reminder to us all that we cannot take Lough Neagh for granted.

Minister, on a number of occasions, you referred to a proposal that would mean that developers might contribute more. Will you put some meat on the bones of what that proposal would look like? Will you also consider an independent review of the funding and governance arrangements of NI Water as part of that work?

On the first point, under the current legislation, developers cannot make significant contributions to waste water treatment works etc. I am looking at the legislation to see whether we need to amend it through primary legislation. I do not have a definitive policy position or legislative outline at the moment. If we go down that route, it will have to go through the Committee and the Assembly.

We can set up an independent review of the funding for NI Water, but it will not solve the problem within the time frame that we need to solve it. The equation is quite simple. NI Water needs more money, so you can go down a number of routes to get it. You can privatise, which the Executive and the Assembly are opposed to. You can mutualise, which would lead to domestic water Bills, and, as far as I am aware, most of the parties in the Assembly, if not all of them, are opposed to that. You can fund NI Water through direct taxation, which we do with the funds that are available to the Executive. You can look at developer contributions and at working with nature. As I said, I have a three-pronged approach to the matter. We are not sitting back hoping or crossing our fingers. My Executive colleagues are on board, the legislation is being looked at and the Executive have passed a policy paper allowing me to draft legislation on working with nature and correcting those misconnections that are also causing so much damage to the system.

Minister, your Department is not solely at fault for the state of the water; other Departments are at fault too. Everything that goes into Lough Neagh comes down through Coleraine, where it is pumped into our reservoir. A gentleman left into my office two samples that he wants tested. Thank you for your assurances on the drinking water, but I maintain that I will keep on drinking bottled water in the meantime. What plans do you have to have discussions with your Executive colleagues to plant more trees and shrubs along river ways to soak up the run-off before it gets into the waterways? That is notwithstanding the direct pollution that is caused by, in some cases, government agencies.

On the point about water testing, I suggest that it is probably best if customers allow NI Water to take the water directly from the tap. If you put it into a container, the container may already be contaminated with another substance. The longer that it sits, the higher the chance that it may upset the testing. So, if a customer has concerns, it is probably best if they contact NI Water directly and samples are taken at source.

You are spot on about planting trees and working with the network of streams and rivers and about the run-off that comes into Lough Neagh from a very wide geographical area. That goes back to my point about working with nature rather than against it. I note that the action plan includes proposals on that. I also note and welcome the work of organisations such as the Lough Neagh Partnership, which works with farmers along the lough shore and has been carrying out great work for many years there by fencing off areas, keeping cattle away and planting trees. You talked about planting bushes and shrubbery. As I said, there will have to be hard engineering solutions in and around the lough and elsewhere, it has to be said, but there are also solutions in nature that we need to explore.

The problems with our water and waste water systems are manifold and multifaceted. They are harmful to the environment, they are, potentially — I am grateful to hear on this occasion that they are not — harmful to health and detrimental to development. Subsequent to Mr Tennyson's question about the Minister's proposed legislation on developer contributions, I will say that developers make contributions at times along with planning applications. Does the Minister see this as an extra layer or an extra opportunity to extract more money out of developers in order to update the antiquated system?

I see this as a solution, and it is the job of a Minister to bring forward solutions. Any legislation that I introduce will have to go through, first, the Executive and secondly, the rigours of the Assembly. One of those rigours will be the Committee. The Member is absolutely right that developers can make contributions, but those contributions are for separating foul water from storm water. In many of our areas, we have an antiquated system whereby we bring storm water and foul water through the same pipes, and that leads to the overrun that is in many of our waste water treatment works. Developers now can pay for the separation of those waters where it suits the solution in that area. I am talking about broadening that and allowing developers to do it. You can put whatever terminology on it that you like. It is not about me poking developers in the eye, by the way. It is about me bringing forward proposals in the recognition of the stringent financial circumstances that the Executive are under.

When I look at Labour's plans for cutting further billions from public spending, I can sit back and moan about that — I am very good at moaning — but I can also look at solutions, and this is part of my proposals around those solutions. It will hopefully allow houses, factories and schools to be built. At the end of the day, a developer will have to make a decision as to whether it is commercially viable for them to do so, as each one will have a separate cost to it, but the Assembly will have the final say on it.

That brings to a conclusion the question for urgent oral answer. Members should take their ease while the Deputy Speaker takes the Chair.

(Mr Deputy Speaker [Mr Blair] in the Chair)