6. Mrs Dodds asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether he will reverse the decision taken by the Department to no longer rely on published ammonia standing advice to facilitate a period of consultation and analysis. (AQO 28/22-27)

I am conscious that, informed by the requirements of the legislation in place to cover decision-making in the absence of Ministers, my officials took a decision that they could no longer rely on published ammonia standing advice, also known as the operational protocol, as the basis for statutory advice on planning applications. That decision was taken following very careful consideration of the legislative obligations placed on my Department and in response to a potential legal challenge by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP).

At this point, I have no plans to reverse the decision, rather my focus is on developing a new ammonia strategy that will be accompanied by new advice to inform planning decisions. I am determined that the new advice will be evidence-based and capable of ensuring full compliance with environmental law. I also want to ensure that the policy development process reflects an understanding of the needs and aspirations of our agri-food sector, which makes such an important contribution to our economic well-being.

In the meantime, my Department has put in place an interim assessment approach, which will be used while a revised operational protocol is being developed. The interim assessment, which is based on robust scientific evidence, allows my officials to deal with planning applications in a legally compliant way, using site-specific advice on a case-by-case basis. As I outlined, my officials seek to work with that.

I thank the Minister. I do not know whether to be heartened or sorry for him that the report is his bedside reading.

A couple of questions arise from what he said. Many of the people to whom I speak in the industry are concerned that officials went ahead and changed the advice without the normal process of consultation. I would like to hear what the Minister has to say about that issue. I am glad to hear that he is to publish a new strategy. In the meantime, however, we cannot have a variety of areas doing different things in terms of planning applications. We already find that in the planning process at the moment. The Minister needs to ensure that there is consistency for the industry.

The Minister does not have time to answer the question, so I ask him to provide a written answer to Mrs Dodds.

We move on to topical questions.