The Auditor General found that no inspections to match waste materials arriving and leaving sites, or to verify waste on-site, have been conducted in the last two years.<\/p>\n
Dorinnia Carville said she had identified “underlying operational challenges” facing the NIEA, including poor data collection and management information, and recruitment issues.<\/p>\n
She said only two of the 36 legal cases taken in the past five years had resulted in environmental restoration by the defendant.<\/p>\n
“The current operation of the inspection regime does not adequately identify or discourage criminality,” she continued.<\/p>\n
“Legal enforcement activities, even when successful, rarely result in polluters remediating the damage caused. <\/p>\n
“Furthermore, financial penalties through fines and confiscation orders are a fraction of the costs of dealing with the waste legally.”<\/p>\n
She has recommended “a review of existing arrangements and inspection regimes” to ensure better value for money and more effective environmental protections for Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n