To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to outline how the recently reconvened Coastal Forum will help support greater coastal resilience and adaptation.

Mr Muir

The coastal forum met on 19 November and provided a valuable opportunity to review progress that has been made on coastal management issues. I co-chaired the meeting with the Minister for Infrastructure. I am pleased to report that there has been significant progress in delivering the agreed work programme. A major achievement is the high-quality evidence base that is available from the Northern Ireland Coastal Observatory. That milestone follows investment of approximately £2·5 million by my Department and provides a platform that can be used for future policy development and decision-making. In particular, the coastal change information tool provides scientific interpretation of historical coastal change patterns and offers insights into how our coastline may respond to future challenges, such as sea-level rise and climate change. The coastal forum was provided with an update from Ulster University and the National Trust on how €9·6 million from the PEACE PLUS programme will be invested in coastal monitoring and adaptation planning. That funding will ensure that momentum is maintained, and it will provide opportunities for coastal communities to participate in climate change adaptation planning. The coastal forum working group will produce a stocktake report of the current work programme and make recommendations for the 2026-2031 work programme. That will provide an opportunity to set priorities for the next five years and consider new work areas, such as the potential role of blue carbon habitats as nature-based solutions for coastal resilience.

Mr Muir

My Department consulted on the review of the Northern Ireland marine protected areas strategy in 2024 and has now produced an updated MPA strategy for 2025-2030. The strategy sets out the priorities for the next five years and will focus on ensuring that MPAs are managed effectively. My Department has recently received very encouraging updates from a pilot project at Strangford lough that demonstrates how damaged seagrass habitats can be restored using eco moorings. The updated strategy and synopsis of consultation responses have been shared with the AERA Committee. I intend to publish the strategy in January 2026.

For those who want more information on the coastal forum, the minutes and detailed work programme will be published on the Northern Ireland Coastal Observatory website.

Ms Brownlee

I welcome the fact that the coastal forum is meeting, but how will it help to protect our critical infrastructure and work collaboratively with the Department for Infrastructure in East Antrim? We have concerns about the A2 corridor, the rail line and protecting our harbour assets from the increasing risk of coastal erosion and rising sea levels.

Mr Muir

I am conscious of the concerns about that and the risks to infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Detailed and robust modelling work and scientific analysis is being done on where we are going in that regard. That helps to give us evidence for where we should intervene. Work is also being undertaken to explore any potential legislation on this. I am conscious that there is no lead Department with responsibility for this. In addition, I will send a climate adaptation plan to the Executive for agreement. It is important that we take action in the wide range of areas that are of concern to people in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to your constituency.