Debate contribution: Climate Change (Just Transition Commission) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 27 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

27 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Climate Change (Just Transition Commission) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5508245

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

I will make a few remarks now, and you can cut me off.

I am grateful for the opportunity to move the motion today. Before I start, I will set the context for the debate. We are debating it as a result of the issues that are facing not just Northern Ireland but the world as a result of climate change. I was at an event this morning that was organised by Ernst & Young (EY), and I commend its leadership and the wider leadership shown by the business community on climate action in Northern Ireland. The event was about profiling the science and evidence that we are aware of on the realities of climate change. Lots of inconvenient truths are being told, and it is imperative for us to act. This morning’s event set out the four scenarios, and we owe it to the people of Northern Ireland to take action to ensure that many of those scenarios do not play out. We are seeing the realities of climate change in Northern Ireland, and it will get worse if we do not take action in response to those issues. There are also opportunities for green growth and the decarbonisation of our society, and it is vital that we grasp them. We must ensure that our actions are just and fair and that nobody is left behind, and that is why I am bringing the just transition commission regulations to the House today. I look forward to the debate and to the support associated with it. The Assembly's approval of the Climate Change (Just Transition Commission) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 will be an historic moment for the House. The establishment of the just transition commission is a legal requirement under section 37 of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. It also delivers on a key commitment in the Programme for Government 2024-27, and I am pleased to bring the legislation to the Assembly to implement the Act and establish that important body. As Members are aware, reducing emissions across our economy requires collaborative action across all the Departments. The Act is explicit that the transition must be just, fair and equitable. To support Departments in meeting that legal requirement, the Act places a duty on my Department to establish an independent just transition commission for Northern Ireland and for the regulations to be put in place to establish the body. I will briefly outline the statutory role of the commission under section 37 of the Act. First, the commission has an essential oversight function. It will assess whether Departments have properly applied the just transition principle when developing emissions-reduction policies for inclusion in climate action plans, sectoral plans and any agriculture or just transition fund. Secondly, the commission will have an important advisory function. It will provide expert guidance to Departments on how proposed policies, strategies and plans align with the just transition principles and objectives set out in the Act. I thank those who passed the Act and ensured that a just transition was a core principle. At its core, a just transition is about ensuring that as we move from a high-emission to a low-emission economy, workers, communities, vulnerable groups and regions are supported and enabled to benefit from the changes. Section 30 of the Act makes that a statutory consideration with 11 just transition objectives, including the creation of quality jobs, support for affected communities and tackling social and economic inequality. I turn to the membership. The Act requires representation from seven sectors, including academia, agriculture, civic society, environmental groups, fisheries, trade unions and youth groups. The Act also allows for additional representation, and the regulations have been developed within that framework. There has been a high level of public interest in the just transition and the role that the commission will play. The need for a just transition is raised at every public engagement event that my Department or I have held on climate change, which demonstrates its importance to people, communities and stakeholders across Northern Ireland. While it was not legally required, I considered it essential to engage widely, given the high level of public interest in the topic. My Department undertook a 10-week public consultation supported by targeted engagement events with the groups required to be represented on the commission by the Act.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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