AQW 20435/17-22


Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim


Tabled Date: 15/06/2021
Answered On Date: 29/06/2021
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether his Department intends to implement a ban on the sale of peat and turf for domestic heating in Northern Ireland.


Answer:
Work is underway within my Department to develop Northern Ireland’s first Clean Air Strategy. A twelve-week public consultation on the Clean Air Strategy Discussion Document ran from November 2020 to February 2021 (available at: http://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/clean_air_strategy_discussion_document). This consultation sought views on a wide variety of matters relating to air quality. It did not set out policy options or indicate a particular policy position.
Chapter 3 - Household Emissions, discussed solid fuels. Section 3.1, Legislation and Controls, provides further information on Smoke Control Areas and section 3.8, on Further Smoke Control Measures in England, specifically looks at the approach taken by Defra, which includes legislating to prohibit the sale of the most polluting fuels. Page 96 then goes on to ask a number of questions including:
Q:Should urban areas, in their entirety, be designated as Smoke Control Areas?
Q: Should the law should be changed so that non-smokeless fuels may not under any circumstances be sold in Smoke Control Areas?
Q: Are there any further things you think that central and local government could be doing to address air pollution from burning solid fuels?
Following the period of public discussion, responses received are being reviewed over the next few months, options considered and a range of proposals will be formulated. Some of these may relate to the introductions of legislation regarding the sale of solid fuels. Once I have considered the options and decided on a policy direction, it is anticipated that further work will be needed during the summer and autumn to develop preferred options more fully. Officials will then begin to draft the first Clean Air Strategy for Northern Ireland. This will be a more focused and shorter document than the Discussion Document and will contain specific proposals relating to policy and other measures which can improve air quality. This draft Clean Air Strategy will be subject to an additional public consultation and due to the cross-cutting nature of the policy area, Executive approval will also be sought at that time. It is hoped that this consultation will launch by the end of the year.
I also recently launched a twelve week public consultation on the Draft Northern Ireland Peatland Strategy 2021-2040 (available at https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/ni-peatland-strategy-consultation). This draft Strategy document has been developed by my Department, and outlines 6 Strategic Objectives and a number of associated actions. It does not set out policy options or indicate a particular policy position at this stage.
As recommendations and public views are sought through the public consultation process, any comment from me at this stage may influence the view of respondents and I do not wish to pre-empt the outcome of this process. I would, however, like to encourage you to formally respond to these and any other questions you may have a viewpoint on, by submitting a response to the consultation. This will ensure your important comments, are captured as part of the final assessment. All comments will be welcome and will strengthen consultation process. I intend to seek Executive approval before publishing an agreed Northern Ireland Peatland Strategy.
Restrictions on the sale of solid fuels is one option that is also being considered as part of the Department for the Economy’s new Energy Strategy. A draft Energy Strategy policy options consultation was issued on 31 March and is due to close on 30 June, with the new Energy Strategy to be published by the end of 2021. Further information is available at Consultation on policy options for the new Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland | Department for the Economy (economy-ni.gov.uk)