£400k spend on aerial photos

The total sum was £463,531.15.

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said the expenditure rose from £52k in 2008/9; to £69k in 2009/10; to £56k in 2010/11; to £132k in 2011/12; and to £156k in 2012/13 to date.

The figures refer to the cost to Land and Property Services for the use of aircraft for aerial photography and other related purposes.

The Department of Finance and Personnel-body is not the only branch of the Northern Ireland state taking pictures from the air.

The Sentinel recently reported how drones are being used in Northern Ireland to monitor larch trees but could also be used in future to snoop on fraudulent farmers claiming too much in EU farm payments.

Forest Service intends resuming the use of Unmanned Aerial System’s (UAS) to monitor areas of larch trees that may be affected by ramorum disease this spring.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) also monitors special areas of conservation from the sky.