Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has welcomed the announcement of Northern Ireland’s first clean air strategy document by the Environment Minister. The member of the APG on Lung Health at Stormont said: “This announcement fulfils a significant commitment from the New Decade New Approach and I welcome the announcement of the Clean Air Strategy […]
Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson has welcomed confirmation from the Environment Minister a public consultation on a Clean Air Strategy would be launched shortly. East Antrim MLA Mr Dickson was speaking after receiving a reply from Edwin Poots on his plans for such a strategy for Northern Ireland. The Minister stated his Department has been working […]
Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has said the submission of a Climate Change Bill to the Assembly marks a key milestone for climate action in Northern Ireland. South Antrim MLA Mr Blair was speaking after the cross-party Bill – sponsored by parties including the Green Party, Sinn Féin, SDLP, UUP, People Before Profit and […]
Serious questions need asked and answered after an Audit Office report showed owners of some renewable technologies were being paid “excessive subsidies” from people’s electricity bills, Alliance MLA John Blair has said. The report showed those who own standalone turbines and anaerobic digesters get higher payments than those in GB. It stated while they accounted […]
Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has said we should mark Clean Air Day by renewing our commitment to improving air quality and reducing air pollution across Northern Ireland. Clean Air Day sees hundreds of events across the UK to highlight air pollution being the largest environmental health risk facing people, with Belfast seeing toxic air […]
It is now time for the UK Government and Executive to met the public desire for a fairer, localised and more green society, Alliance MP Stephen Farry has said. Dr Farry was speaking after the publication of a report by the Westminster All-Party Group on a Green New Deal, a group of which the North […]
Alliance Environmental spokesperson John Blair MLA has said it is deeply troubling to learn the UK Government did not include Northern Ireland when assessing a framework to combat climate change. Speaking during today’s meeting of the Assembly’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Committee meeting, Mr Blair quizzed DAERA officials on the Government’s […]
North Down Alliance MLA Andrew Muir has asked the Environment Minister about ways the public are alerted to water pollution events after a recent pollution incident affecting the river running through Crawfordsburn Country Park on Saturday evening 12 September 2020. Commenting on the issue, Andrew Muir MLA stated “Whilst I am glad to learn that […]
We need to create legally-binding targets to protect our environment, Alliance MLA John Blair has said. The party’s Environment spokesperson was speaking after the RSPB NI charity criticised the Executive for failing to hit targets set to prevent biodiversity loss, with 37 of 42 goals not met. South Antrim MLA Mr Blair said while the […]
The potential loss of 80 jobs at the National Trust is a major blow, Alliance MLA John Blair has said. Mr Blair was speaking after the organisation announced it had opened a consultation on proposals to make 1,200 staff redundant, with potentially 80 of those expected to be locally. It has said the coronavirus pandemic […]