Environment not safe in DUP's hands

Sam Gardiner MLA, the Ulster Unionist Environment Spokesman, has said that the attitudes of the DUP and their Environment Minister, Sammy Wilson, have prevented environmental issues from being addressed with the right sense of urgency and are doing serious damage to the Province's reputation for having a clean environment.

"Recent news that 12 beaches in Northern Ireland have been criticised for low water quality due to spillage from sewage overflow pipes, confirms the urgent and pressing need for a truly independent Environmental Protection Agency in the Province, the only part of the UK not to have one."

"The DUP seem to think that by re-labelling half the civil servants in the Environment Department 'the Northern Ireland Environment Agency' they will somehow defuse demands for better environmental protection here. This is real ostrich-style head in the sand stuff from the DUP. Do they really think people care so little about the environment that they will accept this kind of conjuring trick from the DUP"

"It has now emerged that Newcastle has three unauthorised sewage overflow outlets, and failed the EU's basic water quality standards last year. It has also been revealed that Ballyholme and Carnlough also saw a decline in beach cleanliness and failed the basic water quality standards. There is no limit on the amount of sewage that can come out of these overflows. It appears they represent a licence to pollute."

"The truth is that the environment is not safe in the complacent hands of the DUP. Only a truly independent Environmental Protection Agency will have the kind of vision, drive and initiative to deal effectively with environmental issues. By side-stepping this issue, the DUP has inflicted damage on the Province's environmental reputation, which is so important for our tourism, our families and our way of life."