3. Mr Gildernew asked the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on improvements to air quality since the publication of the environmental improvement plan. (AQO 1036/22-27)

The environmental improvement plan was published on 27 September this year, and it is, therefore, too early to identify improvements in air quality when compared with targets and actions included in the plan. However, the 'Air Pollution in Northern Ireland 2023' report was published on 3 October 2024 and demonstrates that legislative limit values, target values and air quality strategy objectives were met for the majority of pollutants monitored in Northern Ireland in 2023. Further information and data from air quality monitoring stations is available on the Air Quality NI website, via the link at airqualityni.co.uk.

I have engaged with the Minister on significant issues in my constituency in the Granville and Killeeshil areas. There was a recent serious issue, once again, in Granville after hours, during which time no residents nor I could get any contact or communication about what was happening. What additional resource did the Minister provide to NIEA to allow it the capacity to deal with ongoing issues that plague my community in Granville and Killeeshil?

I am aware of the issues, and I am happy to respond to them. I must say that there are resource pressures in my Department around the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and, more generally, in environmental protection. That is something that I will seek to address in the Budget next year. We need to support our environment, alongside farming, which, no doubt, we will talk about today. The NIEA continues to receive reports of odour relating to Granville Industrial Estate, particularly with respect to Granville Ecopark, which is an anaerobic digestion plant. I am aware of concerns from local residents, and my inspectors in NIEA continue to work with the company and other permitted sites in the Granville Industrial Estate to see improvements in the control of potentially odorous emissions. My inspectors will continue to regulate the permitted installations in the Granville Industrial Estate to ensure that permit conditions are complied with and will take appropriate enforcement action in line with DAERA enforcement policy where necessary. Granville Ecopark Ltd is working towards complying with an enforcement notice that the NIEA issued to the company on 7 March this year about odours.

Are the actions in the environmental improvement plan sufficient to reduce the number of deaths caused by poor air quality in the North? For context, the number was recently estimated at 900 deaths a year.

I am very conscious of the figure that the Member has quoted, because those are individual lives that are being lost as a result of poor air quality in Northern Ireland. I will do whatever I can in my power, whether that be through the environmental improvement plan or the future air quality strategy for Northern Ireland, to reduce the number of deaths and to improve air quality, but that requires a cross-departmental approach, because more than just my Department can contribute. That is why I am working with other Departments on the actions that we can take to improve air quality.

When will the consultation on the clean air strategy be published?

I thank the Member for his question. I have set the policy direction for the strategy with my officials, and they are now progressing it. Some actions will be the responsibility of other Departments, as I outlined, and I will work with my ministerial colleagues to finalise that important, cross-cutting strategy. It is my intention to publish the strategy for consultation as soon as possible. The pace of work may be impacted on by competing resource pressures. It is, however, a priority. I have met officials, and we are seeking to progress it.