To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether he will address coastal erosion in Northern Ireland.

It is widely recognised that current policy in this area is outdated, and that the absence of specific legislation in Northern Ireland on managing coastal change, and specifically coastal erosion has resulted in a lack of data on the state of our coastline, and how it is changing over time. It has also resulted in a lack of co-ordinated and targeted investment.

I recently met with the Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon to discuss coastal change and future arrangements for the Coastal Forum, a group set up by previous Ministers as a mechanism through which coastal management issues are being progressed. The Forum has previously been chaired by Ministers and comprises of the Chief Executives of coastal councils, and the NI Director of the National Trust, with ready access to expert academic advice as required.

The Forum has devised a comprehensive Work Programme, assisted by a Working Group. The priority objective for the Forum is to address the significant gaps in our coastline data and provide a reliable evidence base and vulnerability assessment for effective future coastal management. New policy will also need to be developed. In the interim, the Forum has provided decision makers with a position paper outlining current policy and best practice for Northern Ireland. My Department has commissioned a LiDAR survey which will provide a detailed baseline survey of the entire Northern Ireland coast and is developing further project proposals to enhance the evidence base.

The Forum is due to meet soon to consider the good progress on the Work Programme to date, to be followed by a further meeting before the end of the year which I and Minster Mallon will co-chair.

DfI and DAERA staff have been collaborating closely on a range of coastal issues for some time and are currently working with Irish colleagues on securing funding from the PEACE+ programme on Marine and Coastal Management. If the North-South proposal is funded, this could deliver a significant element of the investment needed to progress the proposed Coastal Forum Work Programme.

As survey data becomes available, and expert analysis is provided to the Coastal Forum for consideration, DAERA and DfI will be collectively able to determine and implement coastal management policies which are fit for purpose and based specifically on the geography of the Northern Ireland coast.