An investigation of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) by the UK’s environmental watchdog is “unsurprising but very concerning”, the minister has told a Stormont committee.

Andrew Muir said on Monday that he was “bitterly disappointed” about the Executive’s failure to approve the plan, which will become Northern Ireland’s first environmental strategy.

The Office for Environmental Protection is examining the failure to publish an Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), which was due to have been published in July 2023 and has been with the Executive since March this year.