Debate contribution: Net Zero Policies: Cost-benefit Analysis

Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on 14 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

14 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Net Zero Policies: Cost-benefit Analysis

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5482673

Read the official Assembly record

Text

At its heart, the motion is about putting the public and public services ahead of ideology. Every pound spent by the Executive on green ideology while they chase the fantasy of net zero is money diverted from struggling front-line public services. Every road project delayed or scrapped, be it the A5, the Enniskillen bypass or, basically, any major project that you care to mention, impacts on ordinary people in the here and now. Ask any man or woman on the street what they expect from government and what our priorities should be, and no one will say, "We need to prioritise net zero". They want to go about their lives. They want basic infrastructure to be able to do that. They want to cut red tape. Net zero targets get in the way of all of that. The reality is that even those opposed to the motion complain about the outworking of the very policies that they advocate. Who among Sinn Féin opposes the A5? Who among the SDLP or Alliance opposes the A5? Surprisingly today, who among the Ulster Unionists now opposes the A5? You need to ask which wing is speaking, because the deputy leader seems to be on a different page from the Chair of AERA Committee. The legislation that they pushed for and the green policies that they championed have torpedoed that project and destroyed thousands of acres on the way through. Green ideology has resulted in the legal paralysis of all future infrastructure projects. All too often, it is the very infrastructure projects that the green lobby brigade in the House are so keen on. We do not need to prioritise cycle lanes while potholes litter our roads as people try to get to work. We do not need green tape restricting the developments that are necessary to drive our economy forward. As one thinks of that issue in the round, I am reminded of a biblical proverb: "Physician, heal thyself". Let us talk about the 200,000 tons of sewage that is discharged into Lough Neagh each year or the 20 million tons of untreated sewage that enters Northern Ireland's waterways each year.

There is no greater champion of green ideology than the Agriculture Minister, however.

Absolutely. Not 1 square metre of tar has been laid, yet thousands of acres of land have been destroyed in the process. Let me return to talking about our Agriculture Minister. He remains the man who lets Northern Ireland Water off the hook. Mr Kearney did not take my intervention earlier when I wanted to point out to him —.

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I heed your ruling. I will respond to Mr Kearney's remarks. He failed to take my intervention when he was pointing out all the problems. When it comes to climate change and cleaning up our environment, what is his party's Minister doing? She holds the portfolio in the Department for Infrastructure, which is another zealot-controlled Department that is doing nothing but blaming everyone else. I see that the Agriculture Minister is to make a statement on the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) after the debate on this motion, and serious questions remain about what has been happening at that facility outside Hillsborough when it comes to meeting basic environmental standards.

Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. I will try my best, but I believe that the two are linked. I will move on to page 27 of the draft Northern Ireland climate action plan. It states that there will be devastating cuts to our agrisector as a result of delivering a reduction in the number of livestock by 2030. We talk about tinkering with the figures. With what figures would the Ulster Unionists like to tinker? Is it the 22% reduction in dairy cattle, the 17% reduction in beef cattle or the 18% reduction in the sheep, pig and poultry sectors? Those are all very live issues. Shall we talk about the Climate Commissioner that this place so desperately needs? That is a million-pound cost at a time that we do not have money to fund basic front-line services. This place wants to prioritise £1 million to give a war chest to an environmental zealot with 15 staff to ravage our agriculture industry.

I am happy to give way to Mr Buckley.

Oh, £3 million. That Climate Commissioner would therefore get more than any other commissioner located within the Executive. That shows us the folly of the priorities.

I am happy to give way to Mr Lyons.

Absolutely, and that shows us the folly of the net zero zealots and the green-welly brigade in this place. I am absolutely astonished that they are being propped up and cheered on by the Ulster Unionists in the House today. We need to get our priorities right, and going after the fantasy of achieving net zero will cripple industries that put food on our plates. Food security will be put at risk —

— if the House continues down the dangerous route of going after net zero.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:18 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification