Debate contribution: Tree Protection Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 21 September 2026.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

21 September 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Tree Protection Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5742811

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak to today's debate. I apologise for not being here at the start. I thank my colleague Aisling Reilly for covering when I was not here. I thank Peter McReynolds for bringing the Bill forward and acknowledge the work that has gone into the proposals. He mentioned his consultation, which was two years ago, so I know that the issue is important to him. It is an important Bill. Before I turn to the substance of the Bill, it is important to note that the Executive's consideration of my Department's recommended position has not yet concluded, so, accordingly, my remarks will reflect my Department's assessment of the Bill and should not be taken as representing an agreed Executive position at this stage. My Department has, nevertheless, undertaken a detailed assessment of the Bill. The Bill sponsor mentioned the engagement that we have had with him on that, and I will set out the principal findings of that assessment. As many Members have said today, trees, ancient trees and woodland make an important contribution to biodiversity, environmental quality, landscape character, climate resilience and public amenity. I recognise the importance of protecting those valuable assets and support the objective of strengthening tree protection. I recently had the privilege of joining the Woodland Trust in Mourne Park in Kilkeel. I know that the trust looks after the nursery in Newry in my constituency, and even hearing about its work in protecting ancient woodland brought home to me how important that is. As part of the detailed assessment that the Department has undertaken, we found a number of positive measures that could strengthen the existing framework, particularly in relation to replacement planting, monitoring, enforcement and improving access to information on tree protection. Any elected representative who has had issues over the years and has been trying to get to grips with it will know that it can be challenging, so I really welcome any opportunity to improve and strengthen those mechanisms. We also identified significant concerns, some of which have been alluded to in other Members' contributions, including the potential impact of some provisions on my Department and on councils, landowners and infrastructure providers, as well as the wider implications for the operation of the planning system. There are also questions about the practical implementation and the cost of certain proposals. My Department has not identified any clear incompatibility with convention rights at this stage, nor has it identified evidence of significant adverse impacts on equality of opportunity or good relations. However, some provisions engage property rights and would benefit from further detailed scrutiny as the Bill progresses. My Department's assessment also identifies potential financial and regulatory implications for my Department, councils, public authorities, landowners, developers and infrastructure providers, but the full extent of those impacts has yet to be quantified, and further scrutiny would assist the Assembly in understanding the practical consequences of those proposals. The challenge before us is not whether important trees and woodlands should be protected: they absolutely should be, and I do not think that anyone here will disagree with that. The challenge is ensuring that any new legislative framework is proportionate, evidence-based, deliverable and capable of balancing environmental protection with the effective operation of the planning system and the delivery of essential infrastructure. The issues addressed by the Bill are important and deserving of careful consideration. None of that is insurmountable. I am keen to continue the constructive engagement with the Bill sponsor and others, and I hope that, at Committee Stage, we can get into the — pardon the pun — root and branch of the issue. It is not just you who makes the jokes in here, Peter.

I do not want to take away from the Bill's importance. It is about trying to get those things right so that, in practice, it is achievable and we can deliver on the principles of the Bill. As I said, a number of the provisions will strengthen the existing framework for tree protection, but there are provisions that concern me when it comes to policy implementation and operational issues. However, with further engagement, hopefully we can address those. Those issues will, no doubt, be explored further at different stages in the Assembly and during the Committee scrutiny, but I am keen that my Department continue to engage with the Bill sponsor, the Committee and Members as consideration of the Bill develops.

738 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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