Northern Ireland (NI) Environment Minister has announced that a national debate will be launched on the need for an independent environment protection agency, ahead of changes and restructuring planned for next May.
The Department of the Environment Northern Ireland (DoENI) writes:
Environment Minister Mark H Durkan today announced that he intends to start a debate on the need for an independent environment protection agency. The Minister believes that the present streamlining of government departments offers a unique opportunity for this agency to be created.
Speaking in the NI Assembly, Minister Mark H Durkan said: ‘With such radical changes to our departmental structures next May, I think that the time is right to create an independent environment protection agency. After all, there will not actually be a Department of the Environment after May. DOE will be no more. Its functions are being transferred across a number of departments. Further, most jurisdictions on these islands and Europe have some form of independent environment protection body. They have successfully demonstrated the advantages of a clear separation of roles and responsibilities between central government departments and those responsible for overseeing and implementing protection and regulatory responsibilities.
‘I have reached the clear conclusion that our present governance models are in need of radical review and this needs to be done quickly. In my view, an independent all-island environment protection agency is the best way forward. This will allow us to pool resources and build on collaborative work already being taken forward through the North South Ministerial Council.’
The Minister concluded: ‘As a first step, I now intend to open up a debate about an independent body in the North, within the Assembly and Executive, so that this can be factored into restructuring plans that are underway.’
