AQW 39002/22-27

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 26/01/2026
Answered On Date: 09/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance whether he will make swift bricks mandatory, in new houses.

Answer:

Biodiversity measures such as this are normally addressed as a planning matter and expanding the scope of Building Regulations to include measures aimed at conserving species would represent a significant shift in regulatory intent.

I nonetheless appreciate the importance of maintaining and encouraging biodiversity and I can assure you that my Department will continue to consider implications for biodiversity as part of its current and future work.

Our Building Regulations are typically reviewed in light of developments across the local administrations, which allows us to benefit from the research and lessons learned elsewhere, prior to any introduction here. Should appropriate nature friendly measures come forward elsewhere, these may also be considered in our future work plans.