Alliance Party Infrastructure spokesperson Andrew Muir MLA has launched a public petition calling for the Minister for Infrastructure to rapidly improve the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging networking in Northern Ireland. The online petition notes that while Northern Ireland’s EV charging network was world-leading when it was established back in 2010, a decade of decay and […]
The climate crisis is no longer a looming threat – it’s here and it’s happening now. Yet we prevaricate and this refusal to act at the pace the science demands is deadly, Alliance MLA John Blair has said. He added: “In 2020, extreme weather events uprooted 30.7 million people from their homes, the highest figure […]
The report by the International Panel on Climate Change stresses the “overwhelming urgency” for action on tackling the climate crisis, Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry has said. He added: “The climate crisis is no longer a looming threat – it’s here and it’s happening now – and further delay will be deadly. “The report’s stark […]
Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has encouraged the public to sign a petition opposing a badger cull proposed by an Executive Department. The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) recently announced the plan as part of its bovine TB eradication strategy. It would see the introduction of an indiscriminate badger cull, using […]
Alliance representatives John Blair MLA and Councillor Patrick Brown have called for long-term plans to protect and enhance Northern Ireland’s treasured landscapes following a visit to the Mourne Mountains. Speaking after they attended a meeting in Silent Valley with the Mourne Heritage Trust, Mr Blair and Councillor Brown said they would continue to work both […]
Alliance North Down MLA Andrew Muir has welcomed news that a Dilapidation Bill for Northern Ireland is expected to be introduced at the start of the next Assembly mandate but called for implementation to be fast tracked once enacted. A Dilapidation Bill would consolidate and enhance existing legislation to better allow District Councils in Northern […]
Alliance MLA John Blair has said the proposed culling of badgers, as part of a strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis from Northern Ireland, is “morally indefensible”. He was speaking after the launch of a consultation into the strategy by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Mr Blair said whilst he was supportive of […]
Alliance MLA Andrew Muir has said he is disappointed in the response after quizzing Environment Minister Edwin Poots over his enforcement action on bonfires containing tyres. With images across Northern Ireland showing several bonfires with tyres in them, North Down MLA Mr Muir wrote to the Minister expressing concern over the lack of action relating […]
Environment Minister Edwin Poots needs to take action against those supplying and using tyres for bonfires, Alliance North Down MLA Andrew Muir has said. The Alliance MLA has recently received photographs showing a significant number of tyres at the site of a large bonfire in Kilcooley estate, Bangor. He said setting them alight would have […]
Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has welcomed the launch of a public consultation on the draft Northern Ireland Peatland Strategy 2021-2040. Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, yet our peatlands remain under threat. Locally, they face pressures such as overgrazing, drainage and burning, causing damage to 86 per cent of them. […]