John Blair
South Antrim · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“It supports the Department's role in enforcement by ensuring that animal welfare standards are being upheld. At their core, the regulations are based on prevention, accountability and transparency.”
“I, like others, rise as a member of the AERA Committee in support of the regulations, which seek to make CCTV mandatory in our slaughterhouses. I do not intend to repeat all of the relevant points that have been covered by the Committee Chair and Committee colleagues.”
“<BR /> <BR />I recognise the work of my colleague the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, who is using the powers within his remit to help mitigate climate change.”
“I rise as chair of the all-party group on climate action to address the extreme heatwave that is forecast to hit mainland UK, including a rare red weather warning, with temperatures forecast to be as high as 40°C. It is yet another reminder that climate change is not a distant future risk that we can brush under the carpet.”
“They place pressure on our health service, disrupt transport and infrastructure, reduce productivity and threaten food production, water supplies and biodiversity. If such events continue to grow in severity and frequency, the cost to our communities, our local economy and our natural environment will only rise.”
“I thank the member of the Commission for that reply. It is good to hear that those reviews take place, of course. However, further to the information that was presented, will there be an ongoing review of the continuous improvement plan, and will that information be available to Members?”
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“I am grateful to the Member for giving way. Will the Member accept that the UK Climate Change Committee's six carbon audits and its report 'The UK’s path to Net Zero' indicate that there should be no separation of gasses? The advice is to keep greenhouse gasses together for the best results. Does the Member accept that?”
“<BR /> <BR />We need ambition at political level, because the opportunities are ours for the taking. The race to net zero drives growth and economic opportunity amongst our neighbours and competitors; we can no longer be the exception to ambition. We are undoubtedly lagging behind in tackling the climate crisis, and we should not slip further behind. If we wish, we can hit the ground running with best practice that has already been tried and tested in other regions and countries. <BR /> <BR />I appeal to political colleagues on all sides of the House to consider the implications of taking a different approach to that taken in the UK and Ireland. If we fall behind now, we could stay behind for ever. I close with a quotation from the IPCC report:”
“<BR /> <BR />No one underestimates the impact that the target would have on our agri-food sector, but we must consider it at a broader level. Today's IPCC report confirmed what we all know: wealthy nations such as the UK bear disproportionate responsibility for climate change but are the least exposed to its disastrous effects. Low-income communities in the global south urgently need justice to cope with the escalating loss and damage and to adapt for the future. To create loopholes and exemptions in our responsibilities in Northern Ireland is to turn our back on those who are most at risk from and least responsible for the climate emergency. Not only that, but, in protecting one strand of one industry, we stand to lose enormous economic and social opportunities and confine Northern Ireland to being the carbon outlier of Europe.”
“Alliance strongly opposes the Minister's attempt to exempt agricultural emissions from the overall target of the Bill. The agriculture sector has not only overtaken transport to become the sector that emits the largest proportion of greenhouse gases in Northern Ireland but is, in fact, the only sector in Northern Ireland that has increased its emissions in recent years. Those are harsh realities but realities nonetheless. In Northern Ireland, in 2019, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture were 471,000 tons CO2 equivalent, which was an increase of 9% on the figure for 2008, when the UK Climate Change Act was passed. To give one sector the freedom to continue to increase emissions is contrary not only to the will of the Assembly but to the Climate Change Committee's advice and our commitment under the UK Climate Change Act.”
“Alliance will oppose efforts by the Minister to give methane special regard for the reasons that I have outlined and because that is an unconstructive basis for developing effective policy and legislation to tackle the crisis that I have just described. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 2, which is Sinn Féin's amendment to separate biogenic methane emissions, also causes problems. Representatives from the environmental sector, including Northern Ireland Environment Link, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB, to name but a few — I am grateful for the work done by all those organisations — have made a strong case for not separating or excluding methane or agricultural emissions from the net zero target. <BR /> <BR />I turn to amendment No 17.”
“The impact of climate legislation on our emissions will depend substantively on the strength of the law that we make and the rigour with which it is implemented. This is our opportunity to create strong, effective climate legislation. If we fall behind now, we risk staying behind for ever and losing out on the economic benefits of new green industries, with new jobs and export opportunities; ecological benefits, with more biodiversity, better air quality, more green space to enjoy; better infrastructure; less climate damage, such as flooding; and, finally, the community benefits, including quieter streets, active travel, healthier diets, smart cities and comfortable homes. <BR /> <BR />I will turn to the Minister's amendments.”
“I thank the Minister for his intervention. I made reference to the absence of advice regarding decoupling and to the fact that neighbouring jurisdictions have not resorted to such actions. <BR /> <BR />It is timely that the IPCC report 'Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability' has come on the same day as this debate on the long overdue decarbonisation of the Northern Ireland economy. The IPCC findings are a frightening reminder — I might refer to them later — that climate change legislation is not just critical but urgent. Northern Ireland lags way behind in tackling the climate crisis, and we remain the only place in the UK, Ireland or Europe not to have our own form of net zero climate law.”
“I will give way this once, but I want to make progress.”
“If we take that approach and give methane special regard over the other greenhouse gases, we not only separate ourselves from the approach taken in neighbouring jurisdictions but we take a unique and untested approach that could jeopardise our future.”
“On 1 February, the Assembly voted in favour of a target of having net zero emissions for Northern Ireland for the benefit of our environment, our people and our prosperity. The net zero by 2050 target encompassed all greenhouse gases and gave no special regard to any gas. Therefore, I am baffled about why two parties have tabled amendments to decouple methane from other greenhouse gases, contrary to the will of the House and, it seems, to the advice of the UK Climate Change Committee, which is so often quoted in these debates and which has not recommended decoupling any gases for achieving greenhouse gas net zero targets.”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. I was pleased to hear references in the statement to salt marshes, as protection of those marine ecosystems is vital for the future. In addition to that, what steps is the Minister taking to increase the restoration of salt marshes and wetlands across the country, and what, if any, designated protection is being considered for those habitats and for the species within them, if that is necessary?”
“I understand that DAERA made a collective bid for £21·5 million for those initiatives and, in return, received only £2·8 million. That shortfall in financing will, no doubt, have severe consequences for our natural environment and our efforts to tackle climate change. I hope that the Minister will reflect on those concerns when he responds. I say that, of course, fully mindful of the need for a working Executive to deliver any of that.”
“That is concerning, as the outcomes of that programme have had very positive benefits for people's health and well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and, of course, as we move through COVID recovery. <BR /> <BR />The progression of new commitments and priorities arising from COP26, the new environment strategy, the new biodiversity strategy and the peatlands strategy contain plans to tackle climate change, and those have also been impacted. Addressing key environmental pressures such as climate change and air and water pollution, addressing the impacts of ammonia emissions and building a more resilient natural environment are also made much more difficult without adequate and positive budgetary provision.”
“Peatlands hold a vast amount of carbon in their soils and can add more from the atmosphere if they are functioning well and are in a healthy state. I pointed out to the House only yesterday that, of the 242,000 hectares of peatlands in Northern Ireland, approximately 86% are in a poor condition and are haemorrhaging carbon into the atmosphere instead of storing it safely in the ground. <BR /> <BR />Peatland restoration is not the only casualty of the Budget. The progression of initiatives to address social isolation in rural areas has been a core element of DAERA programming in recent years. In that regard, no allocations have been made to the tackling rural poverty and social isolation (TRPSI) framework across the multi-year Budget, despite a need of £1·8 million a year.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department has been allocated, it appears, only £175 million against the green growth application for the 2022-25 period. I know that that is in the future, and, while officials informed the Committee that they were looking at that allocation positively, it will undoubtedly hamper the intended progress of the green growth strategy work streams. It is regrettable that some even limited means of addressing that shortfall could not have been found in the current position or through recent monitoring rounds. I am deeply concerned that without a clear path to acquire additional investment, planning, development and roll-out of key initiatives, those will be lost, including significant capital investment in peatland restoration.”
“I rise mainly as a member of the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, and, in that role, I am aware of discussion about the DAERA budgetary position — that is, the current position, the position in recent monitoring rounds and what is being projected for DAERA in future proposals. I am also aware that DAERA made a substantive application for £600 million additional funding to support its draft green growth strategy, which ostensibly sets out a pathway for local industry to move towards a cleaner system of working over the next 30 years — of course, it proposes much more than that. That is a departmental strategy aimed at delivering on many of the sustainability pledges outlined in the Programme for Government. I say "aimed", as the delivery of that flagship strategy is now itself uncertain.”
“We need to look, therefore, at new, more holistic and inclusive economic models, including more sophisticated economic objectives and indicators, such as for environmental regeneration, renewable energy and our impact overseas, alongside equality, inclusion, health, income, housing and the well-being of future generations. <BR /> <BR />I am content to support the motion, but I stress again the pressing need for bespoke environmental legislation for Northern Ireland and the establishment of the independent environmental protection agency for Northern Ireland.”
“The establishment of an OEP, with its different roles and scope, should not be used as an excuse for not proceeding with the independent environmental protection agency to which I previously referred. <BR /> <BR />Governance needs to be considered separately from policy. It should go without saying that independence and an ability to prosecute effectively are critical for the Office for Environmental Protection, but that is not the case. Although technically correct, it is clear that the new power will have the effect of allocating DEFRA and DAERA Ministers a central role in shaping the basic principles of the oversight body, thereby constraining the role of the OEP and its ability to act independently. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I have to say this: the pandemic has laid bare the need for a new outlook on our economy and wider society.”
“<BR /> <BR />Foot-dragging by the UK Government on that issue was the main cause of delay in the implementation of the UK Environment Act, for example. There is an existing, outstanding New Decade, New Approach commitment to have an independent environmental protection agency in Northern Ireland, plans for which seem to have been put on the back burner until the next Programme for Government. It is regrettable that that commitment, which was made in the early days of the restoration of the Assembly, has been delayed. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the inclusion of Northern Ireland in the remit of the Office for Environmental Protection, but I stress that the Office for Environmental Protection cannot be the absolute of environmental governance in Northern Ireland.”
“I rise on behalf of Alliance content to agree commencement of the Environment Act and provisions in the Act that extend to Northern Ireland. The Act addresses key environmental governance gaps exposed by the UK's exit from the European Union. I have shared with many others my frustration at the incredible delay in progressing the Act. As the only jurisdiction in the UK and Ireland that is without an independent environmental protection agency, a climate change Act, and, to be more specific, net zero emissions targets, Northern Ireland is in urgent need of policies and frameworks that will restore our damaged ecosystems, yet there has been a reluctance to accept independent oversight, or increased independent oversight, both in the Assembly and, it should be said, at Westminster.”
“My colleague Andrew Muir mentioned just a moment ago that we are operating in a situation in which we do not have a Budget. Even if we did, the New Decade, New Approach commitments to increase police numbers to 7,500 and to deliver committal reform to speed up the criminal justice system would still be outstanding. How on earth could those be delivered under the current Budget proposals?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement and for the news of the investment in habitat protection and restoration. Of the 242,000 hectares of peatland in Northern Ireland, however, approximately 86% is not intact, and as little as 1% has been restored in some way in the past 30 years. For the environmental challenge competition, what priority will the Minister ensure is given to peatland restoration so as to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and contribute to carbon sequestration?”
“The Minister has clearly explained the difficulties faced due to the non-functioning Executive, and I note the financial packages that he intends to pursue despite that. <BR /> <BR />I declare an interest as a member of the Policing Board. What is the Minister's assessment of the Fiscal Council's analysis of the severe proposed hit on the Department of Justice's budget, with its obvious impact on policing numbers, neighbourhood policing teams, tackling crime and overcoming the fear of crime? Can that be rectified?”
“I thank the Minister for the answer. Further to that, will she consider giving compensation to traders who have suffered because of the delay in bringing forward those taproom licences, which, in many cases, are vital to our rural economies and to tourism?”
“Can the Minister give any further details on the plans to bring PIP assessments in-house, including in particular whether she will consider using the Royal College of Occupational Therapists model when considering assessments and applications? That model considers the whole person, including the impact that mental health has on the day-to-day activities of that person.”
“The Minister has spoken of the need for the ammonia strategy, and there is no doubt that there is an urgent need for other environmental strategies. What steps has the Minister taken to ensure that environmental and agricultural strategies are linked? The impacts and issues in those strategies are clearly aligned, and so linking them should ensure that there is joined-up action across the sectors and the DAERA business areas.”
“It must be addressed by the police and the Policing Board immediately as the report identified collusive behaviours by the RUC in the investigation of murders and attempted murders carried out by loyalist paramilitaries in the 1990s. There remains in our society huge individual and collective hurt. The Police Ombudsman's report is further evidence of the pressing need for a comprehensive mechanism to deal with that and give people the justice and closure they deserve.”
“I declare my membership of the Northern Ireland Policing Board. My first thoughts are with the families of those who were killed in these attacks and with those who survived and have been living with the physical and mental scars for all these years. Today will be one of mixed emotions for them as their long-held concerns have been proven to have foundation. They have the full support of the Alliance Party in their campaign for justice. <BR /> <BR />The revelations in the report are deeply disturbing and raise serious issues and questions that need to be answered, and they have the potential to undermine confidence in policing.”
“I thank the Member for the intervention. I hope that he can accept that I am not in a position to give such a definition or such assurances. Given the discussion that we had earlier today about securing a Budget for the next three years, I am sure that he will understand that I cannot commit beyond that. <BR /> <BR />I was talking about existing and emerging industries and ensuring that reskilling opportunities and new jobs are wide-ranging. We can do that by placing social dialogue at the heart of decision-making. Together, we can simultaneously combat the climate change emergency and inequality through investment, radical change and breaking down the barriers of division. My colleagues and I will support the amendments that are aimed at securing that just transition.”
“I am delighted that the sector-specific plan for agriculture was passed by the Assembly. It is my hope that implementing the proposal and establishing mandatory agricultural audits will help farmers to transition to carbon neutrality. <BR /> <BR />A just transition presents us with enormous job opportunities across existing and emerging industries and ensures that reskilling opportunities and new jobs are as wide-ranging as —”
“It is vital that we support our farmers to embrace the essential role that they play in tackling the climate emergency and that we do so by adopting environmentally beneficial farming practices, reducing their carbon footprint and better using and protecting natural resources and biodiversity.”
“In fact, I tabled a similar amendment that would also have provided financial support and retraining for people whose livelihoods and jobs will be affected by the measures proposed in the Bill. Unfortunately, that amendment was not accepted. I am, however, grateful to you, Mr Speaker, and your office for the amendments that have been accepted, thus allowing us to debate robustly the concept. <BR /> <BR />Almost 30% of Northern Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions are from agriculture, compared with 10% in the rest of the UK. That reflects the importance of agriculture to our economy. Our farming sector is also much more heavily based around livestock and is likely to remain so.”
“Investment in the traditional drivers of economic growth — namely, skills, infrastructure, and research and development — must be accelerated and considered through the lens of a green transition that prioritises investment, well-being and the planet; that creates tens of thousands of secure green jobs; that prioritises a vast and diverse range of reskilling and retraining opportunities; and that ramps up investment in research and development to ensure that Northern Ireland is a leader in green opportunities and innovation. <BR /> <BR />I turn to amendment Nos 44 and 54. I have no objections to our agri-food sector's being supported in the transition.”
“It is increasingly clear that the economy across the UK, and specifically that in Northern Ireland, will not bounce back by way of a V-shaped economic recovery. Off the back of a lost decade of austerity, we are likely to see considerable unemployment, sluggish growth and worsening inequality. <BR /> <BR />Low productivity and high economic inactivity have long characterised our economy in Northern Ireland. Investment in infrastructure and in research and development has been lower than that in comparative regions. A significant UK-wide economic stimulus and investment-led green recovery is required.”
“At the outset, I say that we in Alliance recognise that tackling the climate emergency goes hand in hand with economic and social justice. Northern Ireland should lead the way in its ambition by putting a just transition at the heart of its legislative process and its Civil Service. We need a green recovery that is investment-driven and that paves the way for a green transition. <BR /> <BR />It is over a decade since the financial crisis of 2007-08. It is clear that austerity measures have failed to aid recovery and have instead left us more vulnerable to future crises. In 2020, the UK economy suffered its sharpest GDP reduction in over 300 years, which was also the worst annual economic decline in the G7.”
“Although I welcome the increase in the carrier bag levy, I hope that it will lead to significant success in reducing litter, protecting wildlife and influencing customer behaviour. It is important, however, that steps be introduced to support those who are under mounting pressure as the cost of living increases. That having been said, I support the regulations.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have a narrow window of opportunity to address the critical challenge of climate change and mitigate deadly disasters. Now is not the time to be distracted by the convenient truth of plastic pollution, as it presents relatively minor threats compared with the threats posed by systemic global climate change. <BR /> <BR />In closing, I will briefly address the implications that the levy increase may have on working families facing the cost-of-living crisis. Government actions mean that people across the UK face a cost-of-living nightmare, with a National Insurance rise and the biggest increase in the price of domestic energy since records began. Raising the single-use carrier bag charge — in this instance, a fivefold increase — will add to the pressures faced by many.”
“<BR /> <BR />In October last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a report detailing the drastic action needed to limit global warming to 1·5°C. Much of that focused on what individuals could do to reduce their carbon footprint, but it is important not to forget the large-scale, systemic changes needed internationally to tackle all environmental concerns. Those include longer-term and more-effective solutions to the plastic problem but also more radical, large-scale action to reduce consumption and decarbonise economies rapidly. The focus needs to be on making the necessary legislative changes to tackle the climate emergency rather than on having a narrower focus on sustainable customer choices such as using a reusable carrier bag.”
“On behalf of the Alliance Party, I generally welcome the increase of the carrier bag levy in Northern Ireland. We also need to focus on addressing plastic pollution, which can be distracting and divert attention from addressing the crux of the climate emergency, for example. <BR /> <BR />The fight against the climate crisis requires much more than environmental policy tweaks. It demands urgent, radical change based on long-term security and collective prosperity. That is not to say that plastic pollution is not a problem. Rather, there are greater problems and increasingly urgent crises facing the world, such as catastrophic storms, droughts and other severe weather shocks linked to climate change.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. He has repeated on numerous occasions his opposition to the detail and outworkings of the hard Brexit that he campaigned for. Given the legal obligation on the UK Government to implement the checks, the ongoing negotiations between the UK Government and the EU and the role of the Joint Committee compared with the minimal role of DAERA in all of this, is it not the case that the Minister is pursuing a strategy of protest rather than process that will bring undue pressure and added difficulty for the Civil Service and businesses alike?”
“As a member of the Policing Board, I will say that those of us who serve on it have had a fairly stark picture painted to us, reflecting that issue and the problems around it. The Minister has previously mentioned the consequences of the proposed budget settlement for the entire justice system, including those which go beyond policing. Will she outline her main concerns?”
“<BR /> <BR />The bringing forward of climate action legislation presents a perfect opportunity to address the issues of environmental protection as well as to tackle the climate emergency. The amendment tabled in my name relates to the vital matter of independent climate change governance, as well as environmental protection and enforcement against offenders. Its scope addresses how that needs to be strengthened in Northern Ireland, where, we hope, that body can operate as soon as possible and flourish. I urge Members to support the amendment.”
“<BR /> <BR />All pollution of our waterways, whatever the source, is a serious matter due to the biodiversity damage that it causes, the further damage caused to our natural habitat and the risk that it poses to native species. I have raised the issues of penalties on many occasions in the Chamber and through Assembly questions, and I have highlighted the regular pollution of the Sixmilewater and Three Mile Water rivers in my constituency. The irony is not lost on those of us who care deeply about these matters: when a public body is the polluter, it is the taxpayer who pays the penalty and then pays for the repair. There is example after example of the urgent need for an independent environmental protection agency.”
“I move now to enforcement. Northern Ireland is already lagging behind the rest of the UK and Ireland on environmental issues. Gaps in our governance and enforcement present serious and potentially damaging consequences. Environmental protections must not fall by the wayside in the absence of the threat of fines or actions that, previously, were part of EU regulations. An independent environmental protection agency could not only act as a champion for our local environment but send out a strong message against those who may pollute. Since 2007, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency has brought Northern Ireland Water to court 73 times over pollution incidents. That presents a pattern of repeat corporate offending, as I have said before.”
“At this stage, Northern Ireland is the only part of Europe, with the exception, it appears, of Greece, to be without that kind of independent environmental protection agency.”
“The potential for that to happen must be safeguarded against. <BR /> <BR />It is also disappointing to note that DAERA has resisted calls to take immediate action, such as implementing the World Health Organization standards for air quality, which have been implemented in other regions, such as Scotland. Locally, here we are still awaiting the implementation of a clean air strategy one year on from the public consultation on the issue. <BR /> <BR />More specifically, on the subject of environmental protection, there is a need to protect the environment as negotiations on Brexit and its outworkings continue. There is also a pressing need in Northern Ireland for that independent environmental protection agency. As I mentioned, there is an existing commitment to establish it.”
“There is an existing and outstanding New Decade, New Approach commitment to have an independent environmental protection agency in Northern Ireland, plans for which seem to have been put on the back burner until the next Programme for Government. It is regrettable that that commitment, which was made in the early days of the restoration of the Assembly, has been delayed. <BR /> <BR />It strikes me as incredible that one of the cornerstones of environmental protection in Northern Ireland — post-Brexit, it should be said — is still being argued about by the Assembly. It exposes the fact that our departure from the EU, and the regulations that came with that, leaves us very vulnerable to any future decisions that might weaken regulations, as well as to any subsequent environmental backsliding.”
“I will speak to the amendment in this group that the Alliance Party tabled — amendment No 68 — which would legislate for an independent office of climate change and environmental protection. <BR /> <BR />We face a climate and ecological crisis, and Northern Ireland's unique natural environment is under significant threat, yet it seems to me that there has been a reluctance to accept independent oversight, or increased independent oversight, both in the Assembly and, it should be said, at Westminster. Foot-dragging by the UK Government on that issue was the main cause of the delay in the implementation of the UK Environment Bill, for example.”
“I appeal to colleagues across the House to consider the bespoke sectoral plans and to support our industries to decarbonise and also to create an equitable and sustainable economy filled with well-paid, secure green jobs in existing and emerging industries.”
“I thank him for his review of the amendments, his reflection on decisions taken already and the comments that he made about sectoral plans, although, I suggest that there will be opportunities, at Further Consideration Stage and through other channels, to look at the issues of alignment of sectoral plans and get further detail on them. Although the Minister is not here, as a member of the AERA Committee, I want to acknowledge the amendments that he and the Department brought forward in response to requests from the Committee. <BR /> <BR />As we move toward voting on the amendments in group 2, I will say in conclusion that, if we were to fall behind now, we could stay behind forever and risk losing out on economic benefits, new green industries, new jobs, export opportunities and other countless opportunities.”