To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) for his assessment of the amount of sewage that is released into the sea; and (ii) what steps he is taking to prevent this.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) does not hold information on the amount of wastewater related discharges released to the sea.

NIEA regulates sewage discharges to the water environment under the Water Order (as amended) 1999. A regulatory regime is in place, through the issue of Water Order Discharge Consents. These Consents require dischargers to treat sewage to a level that can be sustained by the receiving environment and to maintain their treatments to avoid pollution. Discharge consents are issued to single dwellings, private sewage infrastructure serving residential / commercial properties, and NI Water.

NIEA uses a risk-based approach to monitor these consents and where non-compliances are detected, NIEA will take action in line with the Department’s enforcement policy.