Clare Bailey: 7. Ms Bailey asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what long-term planned response has been agreed to manage COVID-19 into 2021. (AQO 1088/17-22)
Clare Bailey: COVID did not create our mental health crisis: it is adding to it. Is there a long-term strategy or acceptance that we need to deal with our mental health problems in Northern Ireland not just now but in the longer term?
Clare Bailey: 1. Ms Bailey asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on diesel emissions testing for private and light goods vehicles. (AQO 1097/17-22)
Clare Bailey: I thank the Minister for her answer. This has been going on for years and years, and we keep hearing that there are plans to deal with it. Will the Minister give the House a time frame so that we know that diesel private and light goods vehicles will be checked, just as every other vehicle in Northern Ireland is checked?
Clare Bailey: We are now nine months into the pandemic, and for nine months we have known that it is a winter virus, so while it might be reassuring for some to hear that the Executive are now starting to prepare for the introduction of mass testing, it is long overdue. They are looking to establish a focussed working group. Again, that is long overdue. How can the Minister assure the public that they can...
Clare Bailey: I beg to move That this Assembly notes with concern the scale and complexity of the ammonia problem in Northern Ireland; further notes that critical loads of nitrogen deposition at which ecological damage occurs have been exceeded at 98% of Northern Ireland’s special areas of conservation, in some cases by 300% or more; recognises the need to halt further overloading of critical thresholds;...
Clare Bailey: Members will be aware of the current scale of the ammonia crisis in Northern Ireland and its impact on human health and the environment. Health-wise, ammonia pollution is linked to lung damage, heart disease, diabetes, problems with memory and thinking, cognitive decline, respiratory issues, higher death rates and lower birth rates. Members do not need to be reminded that we are in a...
Clare Bailey: Yes.
Clare Bailey: I thank the Member for his intervention, and I will explain as I go through. I thought that I had made clear that AD plants were operating even without planning permission. There are problems in the system. However, we also have a situation where the number of full-time and part-time farmers is dropping year-on-year, which indicates that, for many, it is no longer possible to make a living in...
Clare Bailey: We need a moratorium to allow us to assess the situation.
Clare Bailey: I thank everybody who spoke on the motion and the amendment. It has been an interesting debate. There seems to be a consensus that we need to have a system in place that provides clarity for farmers and that enables them to farm sustainably while being economically viable. There also seems to be a consensus that we have a problem but, over the years, have done little to nothing to fix that...
Clare Bailey: That is an interesting one. I thank the Member for his intervention. We will see how it goes. We have the data, the research and the science. We have all the information that we could possibly need, but what we need to do is act. A moratorium does not need to be a long, drawn-out measure. That is very clear. If we are to get to grips with the harm that we have created and allowed to happen,...
Clare Bailey: Yes.
Clare Bailey: I thank the Member and I agree absolutely with him, which is why, if we go into any consultation process, we should do so not just with industry but with wider sectors, the public and local communities as well. Environmentally, it seems that we all know how to talk the talk, but walking the walk seems to be a different matter. Members are being presented today with the opportunity to step up...
Clare Bailey: Everyone here will be aware that many provisions in the UK Environment Bill do not extend to Northern Ireland. As my South Belfast colleague Mr O'Toole has already mentioned, other regions that are represented on the Council have their own specific climate legislation, with different targets and deadlines. What challenges have been identified that relate to divergence in environmental law and...
Clare Bailey: On the issue of the quality of our local food, we should be cognisant of the fact that people will buy the food that they can afford. Given the economic ramifications of the crisis that we are in at the minute, we need to be careful that the potential for cheaper imports to be within the budget of people here does not allow our good quality to be the major export for other markets. That...
Clare Bailey: — had planned to take 10 years to pay that back and take a £15,000 salary for himself.
Clare Bailey: A neighbour's son worked in a local factory and earned more for the same —.
Clare Bailey: OK. That was my question. Are particular efforts being made to really get stuck into addressing the disparity in farm poverty?
Clare Bailey: The Green Party also very much welcomes the motion. We are encouraged by the vast range of views and positive suggestions given by organisations to the energy strategy micro inquiry. We would now like to see those carefully analysed in order to extract the enormous amount of value and level of expertise that has been given to us in the report. Whilst we are hearing the strong common theme of...