Muir says it is vital to get Mobuoy remediation right with draft strategy now complete

Transcript

00:00I wish to highlight from the outset that my department remains fully committed to pursuing

00:04the perpetrators of this environmental crime through ongoing criminal proceedings, including

00:09ensuring that the polluter pays through confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Safeguarding

00:16public health, ensuring safe drinking water, and reducing the environmental impact of this

00:21crime are paramount, and my department will continue delivering its comprehensive environmental

00:26monitoring programme at the site. This includes site inspections, regular monitoring of ground

00:33and surface water, daily laboratory testing of water quality at the NI Water drinking

00:38water abstraction point, and working in partnership with Northern Ireland Water. Detailed water

00:44quality monitoring reports are published on the DERA website, and I am advised that to

00:48date there has been no adverse impact on the safety of drinking water supplied from the

00:53River Fawn. A draft optimum remediation strategy to deliver the long-term remediation of the

01:00Maboy site, based on the best balance of environmental, social and economic factors, has been developed.

01:07A detailed risk assessment, drawn on extensive site investigations with over seven years

01:12of monitoring, has provided a robust evidence basis for a detailed appraisal of many remediation

01:18options and, subsequently, the development of a draft remediation strategy. The draft

01:23strategy has been developed in line with best practice and using guidance issued by the

01:28Environment Agency that applies to Northern Ireland. The next step in the process is to

01:33consult with the public on the draft strategy. It is vitally important that we get this right,

01:38and I will be ensuring that all interested parties have the opportunity to comment on

01:42the draft strategy. There is no agreed preferred option, and there will not be until the consultation

01:46has been completed and responses have been carefully considered.

01:49I really appreciate the urgency on which you are taking on this issue. Maboy has serious

01:58environmental implications, but it also has implications for our economy, and it is holding

02:02up progress on the A6. Will the Minister detail how he will work with the Minister of Infrastructure

02:07to ensure that progress is finally made on this crucial issue? The delay in one particular

02:13issue cannot kill progress on the A6.

02:16I thank the Member for her question. I understand the urgency for this for many reasons in relation

02:22to the A6. I have briefly spoken to the Minister of Infrastructure about this, and I continue

02:27to engage with him on this. There are other reasons as well. This is a site where an environmental

02:31crime is alleged to have occurred, and investigations are on-going in relation to that. A justice

02:36outcome is being sought. I also want to talk about the impact on the local community. Over

02:40the time ahead, I hope to engage with the District Council on this issue. It is a key

02:44issue for the people of the north-west.