To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether his Department has worked collaboratively with the Department for Infrastructure to update the Bateman Formula.

It is now widely recognised that the existing policy on coastal protection in Northern Ireland, the Bateman formula dating from 1967, is no longer fit for purpose. Consequently, previous Ministers my Department and the Department for Infrastructure set up the Coastal Forum, a body comprising Government and Council Officials, and the National Trust. The Forum has initiated a working group to undertake a work programme geared towards improving our coastal change evidence base and devising policy and strategy recommendations. To date, the focus been on addressing the evidence gaps and this will inform the development of policy options for updating the Bateman Formula.

In addition to collaboration between Departments, the Coastal Forum and its associated working group has provided an opportunity for collaboration with local councils and organisations such as the National Trust, Ulster University, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, and Geological Survey of Northern Ireland. This collective expertise and desire to collaborate on the challenging issue of coastal erosion risk management is becoming very constructive.