To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his UK counterparts with regard to budget allocations for the Office of Environmental Protection in Northern Ireland.

The commencement of the provisions relating to the extension of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to Northern Ireland is subject to the future approval of the Assembly but, in anticipation of that, my officials are engaged with Defra to consider detailed operational arrangements, including potential staffing requirements along with budget contributions and allocations.

Practical decisions about the operation of the OEP in Northern Ireland and what proportion of the OEP’s budget would be allocated to work carried out here are still to be finalised, as is the size of the OEP’s overall budget.