I have received notice from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs that he wishes to make a statement. I call the Minister.

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, regarding the seventeenth British-Irish Council (BIC) environment work sector meeting, which was held in Kew Gardens in London on Thursday 8 May of this year. Junior Minister Aisling Reilly MLA, junior Minister Pam Cameron MLA and I represented the Northern Ireland Executive at the meeting. The report has been endorsed by junior Ministers Reilly and Cameron, and they agreed that I should make the statement.

The British-Irish Council was established in 1999 and is a forum for its members to discuss, consult and use best endeavours to reach agreement and cooperation on matters of mutual interest within the competence of its member Administrations. The British-Irish Council environment work sector is led by the UK Government and has proved to be a constructive and unique forum for facilitating evidence exchange and practical collaboration since the Council was established.

During the meeting, Ministers discussed and reviewed the work of the environment work sector from 2020 to 2024. The meeting also focused on restructuring the environment work sector. It was chaired by Mary Creagh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Nature, and involved Ministers from Ireland and the devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the Governments of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

Ministers discussed and reviewed the environment work sector 2020-24 policy report and the activities of its subgroups — the invasive non-native species; the Asian hornet task force; marine litter marine environment; and climate adaptation — across the period. We commended the work undertaken and the value of shared cooperation on each of those areas. Ministers agreed that the 'Environment Work Sector Policy Report 2020-24' would be published. Ministers also agreed to the streamlining of the environment work sector, confirming the closure of the marine litter, marine environment and climate adaptation subgroups following the conclusion of their work plans and the mainstreaming of climate action across the British-Irish Council thematic programme.

Ministers affirmed the importance of continued collaboration across Administrations to combat the growing threat of invasive species. We agreed that the invasive non-native species and the Asian hornet task force subgroups would combine and be elevated into a separate invasive species work sector led by the UK Government. Ministers reviewed and endorsed a new work plan for the invasive species work sector, with a focus on the following priority areas: monitoring and surveillance technology; priority pathways — exotic pets; awareness raising; alerts and rapid response; and Asian hornets, which are yellow-legged hornets.

Ministers also considered future priorities for the environment work sector, with agreement to make the circular economy as the immediate topic of focus led by the UK Government. Ministers tasked officials to develop a work sector plan on the circular economy for future consideration in the second half of 2025.

I commend the statement to the Assembly and welcome any questions.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas.

[Translation: I thank the Minister for his statement.]

Minister, I have read your statement, and, to be honest, there seem to be plenty of titles, but it is short on detail. For example, the 'Environment Work Sector Policy Report 2020-24' is to be published. Can you give us any idea when that will be published? Secondly, paragraph 11 states that you:

"discussed future priorities for the Environment Work Sector going forward, with agreement to make the circular economy as the immediate topic of focus".

Presumably, that discussion lasted for a while. Can you give us some detail on those priorities?

The publication of that sits with the British-Irish Council, but I will follow it up and request that it is promptly published, because that is important.

The circular economy was considered to be a relevant topic for future work. England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man face similar challenges in regard to that, so it was felt that it was important that we should take that forward, and the UK Government are happy to do that. I said at the meeting that we also need to take into consideration the unique position of Northern Ireland in respect of the Windsor framework and how that fits in to it all.

There are opportunities from the circular economy. There are great examples of businesses in Northern Ireland showing that in action, and, hopefully, we can learn from one another and drive forward more work on it. An element of the circular economy sits with the Department for the Economy. Obviously, it will be invited to future British-Irish Council meetings, if those topics are on the agenda.

Minister, thank you for your statement. We have an ecological crisis happening in Lough Neagh. Are other Administrations facing similar problems?

We face an environmental catastrophe in Lough Neagh. It is a serious issue not just in respect of its impact on the environment but because 40% of our drinking water comes from Lough Neagh, so it is important that we face up to the actions that need to be taken around that. One of the specific issues that were discussed at the British-Irish Council in regard to Lough Neagh was zebra mussels. They are an invasive species and contribute to the issues that we face with Lough Neagh. The interventions that we can provide regarding that are rather limited. It is key that people ensure that, in any maritime operations, due diligence is taken to ensure that we do not spread the zebra mussels. The matter of invasive species is on the agenda of the British-Irish Council because it affects not just Northern Ireland but the South. We will continue to collaborate on that.

Additional research on Lough Neagh has been published, and I will lay that in the Assembly Library for Members to access. The research is about the contribution to water quality, and hopefully it will aid consideration of the issues affecting Lough Neagh.

Minister, your statement talks about the "value of shared cooperation". What cooperation do you and your Department have with the farming community here on your nutrients action programme (NAP) proposals, which have the potential to put many farmers to the wall and are creating huge concern in the agriculture industry?

The statement is about the British-Irish Council environment sector, and I am glad to say that that cooperation occurs across all the member organisations of the British-Irish Council. We work collaboratively, which is good.

On your question about the nutrients action programme, that is out for consultation. I took a decision to extend it by four weeks, and I encourage people to feed back alternative solutions to tackle the challenges that are in front of us or to raise any concerns about that. The consultation is just that: a consultation on proposals. I understand that it is complex, and that is why I agreed to extend the consultation by four weeks.

I am pleased to hear that the British-Irish Council has commended the work that is being done on marine litter and the marine environment more generally. Minister, what action is being taken to protect blue carbon habitats and the wider marine environment?

Thank you, John. My Department has worked with stakeholders to co-design policies, strategies and action plans that are needed to address the dual climate and biodiversity crises that face the marine environment. They include a revised marine protected area strategy and a blue carbon action plan. I launched the blue carbon action plan on 23 April, and the revised marine protected area strategy will be published later this year. That will be followed by the seabird and elasmobranch strategies.

Minister, when do you expect the environment work sector policy report to be published?

I will follow up on that. That sits with the British-Irish Council, and I will seek to have it published as soon as possible.

I thank the Minister for the short statement; I am not sure whether that reflects the fact that it was a short meeting.

In an answer to a tabled question last month, the Minister informed me that there were 55 exotic pets or, as he referred to them, "dangerous wild animals" registered in Northern Ireland. In the absence of any detail in the statement, will the Minister explain why the matter of exotic pets is being considered as a priority pathway and outline the terms of reference for that work stream and whether we should expect a change in the licensing of such animals?

Thank you, Michelle. Your Assembly question was useful in bringing out a bit more detail on the number of exotic pets that are registered in Northern Ireland. I continue to encourage people to register any exotic pets, because there is a requirement to do that. It is important that we recognise the risks to broader society if we do not properly manage that, and that is why it was agreed that it should be part of the work programme. Once the terms of reference are agreed, I will write to you to set them out. It is important that we do that.

At the meeting, we discussed some of the information that we have gathered on the situation that has presented itself. We want to work collaboratively because, as you know, those pets are likely to travel throughout the areas that are within the remit of the British-Irish Council, and I am very conscious of the associated risks. Again, I urge people who are in possession of any of those animals to register them.

Minister, what will the invasive species work sector focus on?

Thank you very much. That is an important area. The invasive species work sector will focus on monitoring and surveillance technology, developing new technology, including AI, for monitoring invasive species across the islands; priority pathways, including exotic pets, as we have just talked about, to address exotic pet escape and establishment of actions across British-Irish Council member Administrations; and prompting awareness-raising campaigns such as Be Plant Wise and Check Clean Dry and coordinating the annual Invasive Species Week. It also includes alerts and rapid responses and, as was discussed in the statement, preventing the spread of Asian hornets, which threaten honeybees, native invertebrates and human health.

I thank the Minister for his statement. He mentioned the value of shared cooperation and collaboration. Will the recent reset in EU-UK relations have any beneficial impact on the environment work sector?

Yes, it will. It was set out in the statements that were issued on Monday of last week that there will be further cooperation around those areas. That will be for the collective benefit of the EU, Northern Ireland and the UK more broadly. That is wise, because a lot of the issues that we are discussing with the British-Irish Council also extend to the European Union. It is important that we cooperate on those. I already cooperate quite a lot with my colleagues in the South, and I am seeking further engagement with my colleagues, particularly around Lough Neagh and nature recovery and also on agriculture and veterinary matters. That liaison already occurs, but the reset with the European Union allows us to broaden and deepen that collaboration. It is set out in the statement, and I welcome that particular paragraph.

This watery two-page statement says to me that there continues to be zero self-awareness from the Minister about the huge pressure and strain facing agriculture in Northern Ireland. When he was discussing environmental work schemes, was there any consideration of the thousands of jobs that are at risk from his environmental extremism?

I continue to undertake my responsibilities to the environment because they are statutory responsibilities that need to be discharged. It is important that we take cognisance of that. We also need to take cognisance of a report issued last week by the Office of Environmental Protection. It states:

"The Complaints and Investigation team service a wide range of enquiries and complaints. We have identified the following topics that are currently undergoing further consideration".

The first item in the list of future topics is:

"Northern Ireland – Nutrient Action Programme We are considering any potential failures to comply in relation to the regulation of nitrogen/phosphorus inputs into freshwater/coastal protected sites along with wider regulations relating to nutrients."

That is the context in which I operate, and I am very clear that the proposals for the nutrient action programme are just that: they are proposals. There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to tackle the issue of Lough Neagh. There is significant pressure, whether from the Office of Environmental Protection or others, to do that. I am striving to strike a balance between addressing those issues and concerns that are being set out to me and ensuring financial sustainability for the agri-food sector. That is something that I am very much committed to. I was the only Minister in the UK to secure ring-fenced funding for agriculture, agri-environment, fisheries and rural development. Additionally, I secured over £12 million for a just transition fund for agriculture. I am doing that work. I am delivering for the farming community, but I am also very conscious of my statutory responsibilities, which I cannot shirk.

Addressing climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and cooperation on the issue is very welcome. Minister, when will the third Northern Ireland climate change adaptation programme (NICCAP3) be published?

I recently shared a copy of the Northern Ireland climate change adaptation programme with my ministerial colleagues and requested any final comments before my Department launches an eight-week consultation on it. Subject to no major concerns being raised, I hope to launch the consultation late this month or early next month.

Minister, given the continued application of EU law in Northern Ireland and many issues relating to the environment, was there any discussion about alignment for the whole of the UK with the EU, and, as a consequence, subverting the result of the 2016 referendum?

That was not a matter for discussion for the environment work sector. I outlined in the statement what the meeting focused on. To be honest, Mr Gaston, I think that the EU lives rent-free in your brain.

Minister, this very short statement is the only substantive Executive business today, so it would be good to hear some substance. Of the jurisdictions that you met at the British-Irish Council, Northern Ireland is the only one that does not have an independent environmental protection agency. Even the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands can prosecute environmental crime. Did you give your colleagues an update on when the environmental governance panel will report? When will the House see the outworkings of that?

There is an inaccuracy in your question: you said that only those areas could prosecute environmental crime. Northern Ireland can prosecute environmental crime, so it is important to set the record straight on that, Matthew.

I did not say anything inaccurate.

Order.

The independent panel is continuing its work and will report in due course. I will not be found wanting in coming forward with my response to that. When the SDLP had a chance to vote for an environmental protection agency as part of an Amendment to the Climate Change Bill, you did not even turn up.

That brings to a conclusion the ministerial statement.

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Yes. I remind Members that debate takes place through the Chair and not directly. I will take your point of order, Mr Blair.

Mr Speaker, I seek your ruling on the comments made and wording used by Mr Buckley during —.

[Interruption.]

And again, it appears. It was during questions on the ministerial statement that we have just heard and during Members' statements earlier.

Mr Speaker, will you rule on whether it is appropriate to mention a person's attire and to accuse a person of being an extremist? Those comments were contained in a Member's statement and in a question. Do such remarks constitute a direct and personal attack on a Member, whether that Member is a Minister or not?

I am happy to look at what has been said and to take some consideration of that from my staff.

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Would it be appropriate for me to receive the exact words that Mr Blair found so offensive? I have not one clue about what on earth he has just said.

That is why we will look at it ourselves. When Hansard produces the transcript, we will, in due course, consider it with cool heads.