Since 2008, £850m has been spent on environmental infrastructure and measures over the last three years. Some of the key achievements are:

•  Northern Ireland Water has brought forward plans for more than 300 improvement programmes. Two programmes that stand out in delivering real improvements are the Belfast Sewers Project and the Water Mains Rehabilitation Programme.

•  The Belfast Sewers Project was completed in Spring 2010 and represents a total investment of over £160m in upgrading the city's sewer network and constructing a large diameter tunnel. These measures have not only reduced the pollutant loading on the river Lagan by 85% but will also reduce instances of flooding in the inner city.

•  The Water Mains Rehabilitation Programme represents an investment of £80m in upgrading and improving our water mains. To date, Northern Ireland Water has laid more than 1,000km of mains as part of this programme. The upgrades have helped to improve the quality, reliability and flexibility of water supply across the North while also reducing leakage.

•  In addition, investment has been provided through two large Public Private Partnership Projects to deliver improvements to drinking water quality and waste water treatment. The Omega Waste Water PPP Project is delivering improved treatment standards for 20% of the total waste water received by Northern Ireland Water. The Alpha Water PPP Project is delivering new treatment facilities for over 50% of drinking water.

•  This investment means that we now enjoy drinking water quality that is as high as it has ever been. We have also increased investment on the waste water side where compliance with required environmental standards has increased and is now higher than it has ever been.

•  Local councils have come together to form three Waste Management Groups and are now in the process of procuring Strategic Waste Infrastructure facilities. While there has been a degree of slippage at project level, the programme overall remains on track to achieve its objectives for landfill diversion in 2013 and 2020.

•  In 2010/11, Rethink Waste Fund grants totalling £4.38m were allocated to councils to fund a total of 44 capital projects.

•  Rivers Agency completed the Flood Management Policy Review. Government's response to the review, "Living with Rivers and the Sea", was published in August 2008, setting out a flexible policy framework for the delivery of food risk management for the next ten years and beyond.

•  Rivers Agency also developed and published the 'Strategic Flood Map (NI) Rivers & Sea' on the internet illustrating the areas that have flooded in the past and those which are estimated to be prone to flooding in the future.

•  As a first step in the implementation of the EU Floods Directive, Rivers Agency transposed the Directive through The Water Environment (Floods Directive) Regulations NI (2009).

•  The number of properties at significant risk was reduced by 334 by constructing food alleviation schemes.

•  Considerable work has also been undertaken to ensure that existing river and sea defences and the culvert network continued to perform effectively thereby helping to maintain the protection to people and property from flooding.

•  Rivers Agency has established a Bill Team to develop reservoir safety legislation.