To ask the Minister of the Environment if he plans to extend the Cleaner Neighbourhoods & Environment Act to Northern Ireland or to introduce similar legislation.

In view of resource constraints and competing priorities facing my Department and the impact on Councils of the Review of Public Administration, further consideration of the Northern Ireland Clean Neighbourhoods agenda and associated new primary legislation corresponding to the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act has been deferred until 2011. This will allow my officials to concentrate on higher priority environmental issues over the coming years.