To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what consideration his Department has given to the promotion of the Green Growth Foundation Programme through other public bodies.

My Department in leading on the development of the Executives Green Growth Strategy has established a number of working groups to support and promote this important area of work. These include a Strategic Oversight Group which comprises senior Department representatives from a range of NI Executive Departments which supports the Green Growth Inter-Ministerial Group which I chair. Consideration is currently been given to the establishment of a number of sectoral working groups, in addition to the established Green Growth Forum, which it is envisaged would comprise representatives from a range of other public bodies. Those working groups and the Forum should provide a mechanism to promote Green Growth Foundation Programmes with other public bodies as they are developed.

As way of example ‘Forests of our Future’, which I launched in March 2020, as the first Green Growth Foundation Programme is supported by the Afforestation Forum which I established. That Forum includes representatives from Councils and other public bodies to help support the delivery of the programme.