Part of Question for Urgent Oral Answer — Infrastructure – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:45 pm on 16 September 2024.
Maurice Bradley
DUP
3:45,
16 September 2024
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
