To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs why the establishment of an independent Environmental Protection Agency, as committed to in New Decade, New Approach, was deferred.

I believe that good environmental governance is about focusing on environmental outcomes and taking a strategic approach to the environmental challenges that we face in NI and on the global stage.

I am on record as saying that I am considering the implications of the NDNA proposal for the establishment of an IEPA to form part of the possible outline of a future Programme for Government (AQO 281/17-22, answered 19 March 2020, refers). The NDNA Agreement does not specify a timeframe for the establishment of an IEPA and neither I, nor the Executive, have taken a decision not to establish an IEPA.

An IEPA, in other words a replacement for the NI Environment Agency, cannot be created overnight – consideration needs to be given to appropriate options and these will require robust economic appraisal to determine the best option for Northern Ireland. It is no small task to scope all of the potential impacts, including significant legislative, financial and human resource issues, which would be necessary before decisions can be made.

The Assembly has given its consent to extend the provisions of the UK Environment Bill giving effect to an Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to Northern Ireland and my Department recently issued a discussion document to gauge stakeholder views on how we should deal with environmental plans, principles and governance in the future. This consultation issued on 10 December 2020 and was extended to 26 February 2021. Analysis is ongoing.

The OEP will be independent from government and able to scrutinise and advise on environmental policy, investigate complaints, take enforcement action against public authorities and monitor departments’ progress in respect of improving our natural environment.

Understandably, in the current crisis resources are spread more thinly than I would like and so some prioritisation has been necessary. There are other issues that need to be addressed first, such as the OEP and the Green Growth Strategy, which will help in our recovery from the devastating effects of Covid-19.