Archived press release

8 out of 10 say DOE is failing on pollution

18 April 2005

82 per cent of people questioned recently feel that DOE is failing to crack down on pollution. Of 962 people asked, 796 said that Government is ‘not very effective’ or ‘not at all effective’ in reducing the incidence of water pollution and illegal dumping. The poll [1] was carried out on various Saturdays since the beginning of the year by Friends of the Earth activists, Lough Neagh fishermen and local anglers. The views of shoppers and passers-by were sampled in Ballyclare, Bangor, Coleraine, Doagh, Dungannon, Larne and Portadown.

The findings will make uncomfortable reading for DOE which is under pressure to transfer responsibility for pollution control to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Commenting, Friends of the Earth Campaigner Lisa Fagan said that the poll, while not scientific, was a useful barometer of public opinion:

“The good news to come out of this survey is that 98 per cent of respondents feel that a clean environment is either ‘very important’ or ‘quite important’. More worrying is their assessment of the health of our environment: 90 per cent feel that our water pollution problem is either ‘very serious’ or ‘quite serious’ while 92 per cent describe illegal dumping as ‘very serious’ or ‘quite serious.”

These figures reflect recent media coverage of Northern Ireland’s polluted environment. Raw sewage is discharged into the sea at Portrush, Larne, Bangor and Donaghadee and the countryside is littered with illegal landfill sites, many accepting waste transferred from the Republic of Ireland.

Officials in DOE will be disappointed to learn that relatively few people know how to report a water pollution incident or illegal dump site. Only 21 per cent of respondents, when prompted, identified Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) as the body responsible for controlling water pollution, with the same number choosing it as the body charged with regulating landfill sites.

Lisa Fagan continued:

“The low recognition of EHS is bound to cause delays and under-reporting of pollution incidents. The failure of EHS managers to communicate their role to the public, coupled with their performance in controlling pollution, underlines the need for reform.”

The campaign for an EPA is led by nine environmental organisations, among them Friends of the Earth [2]. Last spring, the coalition published the findings of a research exercise by Professor Richard Macrory, an eminent environmental lawyer at University College London. His report included a number of options for the reform of EHS and its publication coincided with the launch by the coalition of a three-month long consultation exercise. More than a thousand organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors were invited to contribute their views, and there was also a conference and bilateral meetings with political parties and key stakeholders.

The report of the consultation exercise was published last autumn. It found widespread dissatisfaction with the way our environment is protected and majority support for the creation of an independent agency structured as a non-departmental public body. As a result, the environmental groups met Environment Minister Angela Smith MP and asked her to initiate a Review of Environmental Governance. The coalition is awaiting her response.

Notes

[1] (back) The poll findings are summarised below:

1. How important is a clean environment to you?

Very important 816 = 84.8%
Quite important 130 = 13.5%
Not very important 12 = 1.2%
Not at all important 0
Don’t know 4 = 0.4%

2. Now a question about water pollution. In Northern Ireland, how would you describe the problem of water pollution, for example when rivers, loughs and seas are contaminated with human sewage, animal slurry, oil or chemicals?

Very serious 595 = 61.9%
Quite serious 273 = 28.4%
Not very serious 45 = 4.7%
Not at all serious 4 = 0.4%
Don’t know 45 = 4.7%

3. Now a question about landfill sites. In Northern Ireland, how would you describe the problem of illegal dumping?

Very serious 640 = 66.5%
Quite serious 243 = 25.3%
Not very serious 36 = 3.7%
Not at all serious 6 = 0.6%
Don’t know 37 = 3.8%

4. Which of the following bodies is responsible for investigating and prosecuting a water pollution incident, for example if fish were killed when slurry entered a river?

Your local council 297 = 31%
Water Service 313 = 32.6%
Environment and Heritage Service 202 = 21.1%
Friends of the Earth 19 = 2%
Other (please state) 12 = 1.3%
Don’t know 116 = 12.1%
Note: 3 respondents failed to answer this question, therefore the percentages were calculated out of a total of 959.

5. Which of the following bodies is responsible for licensing and regulating landfill sites (dumps) to make sure they are properly run?

Your local council 640 = 66.8%
Water Service 17 = 1.8%
Environment and Heritage Service 201 = 21%
Friends of the Earth 16 = 1.7%
Other (please state) 1 = 0.1%
Don’t know 83 = 8.7%
Note: 4 respondents failed to answer this question, therefore the percentages were calculated out of a total of 958.

6. How effective would you say Government has been in reducing the incidence of water pollution and illegal dumping?

Very effective 9 = 0.9%
Quite effective 92 = 9.6%
Not very effective 518 = 53.8%
Not at all effective 278 = 28.9%
Don’t know 65 = 6.8%

[2] (back) The coalition members are:
Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland
Friends of the Earth
National Trust
Northern Ireland Environment Link
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Ulster Wildlife Trust
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Woodland Trust
WWF Northern Ireland

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: [email protected]

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust