To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail the efforts being made to remove barbed wire fences from Northern Ireland’s beaches.

DAERA is responsible for managing bathing water quality at 26 identified sites around the coast of Northern Ireland. DAERA works closely with the bathing water operators, who are the local councils, the National Trust and NIEA. Other partners in the Better Beaches Forum, which DAERA leads, are Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and NI Water.

It is the bathing water operators who manage the beach area and NIEA performs this role at Helen’s Bay and Crawfordsburn. Barbed wire is not used at any beaches managed by NIEA. If staff find discarded barbed wire, it is targeted for removal as soon as possible.