Debate contribution: Northern Ireland Climate Commissioner Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on 8 April 2025.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

8 April 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Northern Ireland Climate Commissioner Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4919483

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Going by the debate so far, I have no doubt that the regulations that are before the House will be approved, but I welcome the fact that, after I raised questions on 19 March, DUP colleagues joined me in making similar points the following week in Committee. Regardless of the motive, there are good reasons for opposing the regulations. Northern Ireland will be the first region in the UK to have its very own Climate Commissioner. When I look at all the things on which we fall behind, I have to ask why we are taking the lead on this. Importantly, the Executive Office Committee has received evidence that the commissioner will require a budget of around £1 million per annum. It is estimated that the commissioner will have 15 staff. I contrast that with other important bodies, such as Intertrade UK, which has an independent budget of zero and an independent staff of zero. No one used the appointment of a Climate Commissioner as a reason to get this place up and running, but some unionists claimed that Intertrade UK was in that category. I will ask those who champion climate alarmism four fundamental questions. A number of Members have, rightly, made interventions, so if any of them want to make an intervention to answer my questions as I go on, I will be happy to give way. Can you provide any data on the impact of climate change on Northern Ireland? I look to Mr McGuigan, Mr Stewart, Mr Butler and Mr Blair: does anyone want to give me that detail?

Go ahead.

Mr Butler, we have changes in climate. My goodness, we had the medieval warm period. Was it a renegade step that the Vikings did not come forward with a climate commissioner to sort out all their problems? The Thames froze. These are natural cycles.

Absolutely. Go on ahead, Mr Butler.

We have heard in the debate that we have a body that can oversee and look at these issues. Mr Butler denies the fact that climate changes come and go.

Yes, Ms McLaughlin.

Absolutely.

No, no.

As I said in the House last week, Ms McLaughlin — indeed, she was in the Chamber at the time — I recognise where the economy is going, so I make no apology for championing North Antrim and championing Wrightbus to deliver new buses, but, my goodness, we have not heard anybody come up with a fact or a figure today to tell us what the benefits of having a Climate Commissioner will be. My second question is —.

Yes, go on ahead, Mr Blair.

I am here to talk about Northern Ireland. The Member talks about 1°C, but he fails to take into account the mass amounts of sewage that are being deposited into Lough Neagh. That also creates blue-green algae and has a big effect on the quality of our drinking water. I will move on to my next question. How are we to assess the success of the commissioner?

No? Nobody has taken me up on that one, so I will move on to my next question. What change to global temperatures will there be if he or she is the most successful commissioner that we could possibly have?

Is that an intervention? I have no idea, Mr Blair, whether you are —.

Yes, I —

— will give way. Take to your feet. Do you want to come in, Mr Blair?

Nothing. That is OK. I gave you the opportunity. If the UK were fortunate enough to have the most excellent Climate Commissioners in all four nations, what would be the impact be on global temperatures? I say to all the climate alarmists and all those with facts and figures that, once again, I am prepared to give way. Ms McLaughlin, you are smiling. Anybody? Officials were not able to answer those questions in Committee. MLAs? No? I will therefore move on. Unless and until those questions can be answered, this project has to be considered questionable. Yesterday in the House, the Minister of Finance told me that he would have to examine the case put forward by the Chief Constable for the PSNI to get more funding. Who has examined the case for a Climate Commissioner against the impact that a commissioner will have on the climate? I dare say nobody. I put it to the House that, for the money involved, there are many more worthy causes that should be placed ahead of having a Climate Commissioner. I will also explore some fundamental, factual issues with commissioners. At the Committee for the Executive Office, we were told that the suggested annual budget of £1 million was based on what one would expect a commissioner's office to cost. The Executive Office Committee has recently been looking at issues related to historical childhood abuse. We have a Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse. From what I have seen, she is doing a very good job and is an excellent fit for the role. Does she have a budget of £1 million? What was her budget to highlight her work and to look out for victims outside of Northern Ireland? Was it anywhere close to £1 million? Absolutely not. I would like the First Minister, when she is summing up, to pick up on that point. Furthermore, I will contrast the proposed powers of the Climate Commissioner with those of the proposed Commissioner for the Ulster-Scots and the Ulster-British Tradition. The Climate Commissioner, who will take up office should the regulations pass, will, according to regulation 4, have powers to:

"(a) provide advice and make recommendations; (b) undertake or commission research; (c) publish— (i) reports, (ii) advice and recommendations, (iii) other relevant information."

When I compare that with section 3 of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022, I discover that, unlike the Climate Commissioner, the Commissioner for the Ulster-Scots and the Ulster-British Tradition will have no powers to make recommendations and no powers to commission research or publish material pertaining to his or her office.

Whether it be on budget or powers, it seems as though some commissioners are more equal than others.

Members, we all have a responsibility to steward our environment and pass it on to the next generation in a better shape.

I am happy to give way to Mr Donnelly.

Once again, I ask the Member this: what difference will that commissioner make here in Northern Ireland?

What will —?

One Member at a time.

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. You raised a very good point about the Dáil and the conduct of its Members. You would not get that in Stormont. We all hear well and good about the commissioner and what they are going to do. I will make a point that I made at Committee: once the commissioner is in place, there will be extra bureaucracy for businesses. Mr Butler is the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee. My goodness, once the Climate Commissioner comes into place in Northern Ireland, they are going to have a devastating impact on our agri—.

The net zero Bill, which was rushed through this place at the end of the previous mandate, basically put a knife through a lot of our agri-industry. In years to come, our stock numbers will be slashed. I have no doubt that the commissioner will add an extra burden.

Yes.

I hope that that is a commitment and that, when the new commissioner is in place, they will not challenge that. The people who are best placed to look after our environment are our farmers. They have done that very well for the past number of years. No farmer wants to damage the landscape; they want to have the most efficient landscape in the best shape possible and to have the best produce. I will take no slight to the agriculture industry in this place. Indeed, at every opportunity, I will stick up for the farmer.

One more.

As we have already heard, we have a UK-wide oversight body that is in charge of all this. Why does Northern Ireland think that it knows best? It will create an empire of 15 additional staff, who will put bureaucracy above and beyond what there already is. I certainly do not believe in that. It is not the best use —.

Thank you very much, Mr Buckley. I hope that, throughout my speech, I have shown that I do not believe that the Climate Commissioner will bring anything to Northern Ireland. I do not think that they will bring any benefit. I believe that they will bring only bureaucracy and more headaches for business and our agri-industry. I am very happy, at the end of the debate, to be the only one in that position, though, hopefully, the DUP will divide the House on this, and I certainly will vote against the establishment of this commissioner. It is not the right time, there is no need for the post, and that £1 million would be better spent elsewhere.

1,512 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 01:20 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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