To ask the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for an update on the Belfast Flooding Stakeholder group established by the Rivers Agency including details of (i) its membership; (ii) the number of meetings held to date; (iii) plans for future meetings; and (iv) its forward work plan.

The Belfast Stakeholder Group was established to assist in taking forward the preparation and implementation of the Belfast Flood Risk Management Study. Membership of the Group includes representatives from NI Water, Roads Service, NI Environment Agency, Belfast Resilience Forum, Belfast Harbour Commissioners and Rivers Agency. The inaugural meeting of the Group is scheduled for the 3rd July 2009 and the frequency of future meetings will be considered at this meeting. The Terms of Reference for the Group, when agreed, will assist in the development of forward work plans and programmes for the Group.

Given that the study is at data acquisition stage, currently representation is from core stakeholders. However, there is flexibility to co-opt other interested parties as the study progresses and work programmes are clarified.