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

Debate contribution by Mr Gareth Wilson on 27 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Gareth Wilson

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

27 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

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

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5508640

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I rise to speak on the regulations with some concern. It feels as though the cart is being put before the horse. The Assembly has pushed on regardless with interim targets and carbon budgets, yet the detail on what a just transition means or, indeed, looks like in practice is still unclear. People and businesses need realism. They need confidence and support, not aspirations that outpace delivery. Let me state our position plainly: the DUP does not believe that net zero as currently set out for Northern Ireland is achievable, particularly at a time when our farming industry, our households and our employers are under real pressure and when the scale of investment that is required in our infrastructure is plain for all to see. The regulations are not a technical tidying-up exercise; they are tied to an overall direction of travel that risks locking the Province into commitments that cannot be met without major upheaval and significant cost. That is why we cannot support measures that promise that fairness will automatically follow when the policy does not demonstrate how that will actually be delivered. If expectations are raised and then, inevitably, disappointed, public trust will be the casualty, and that helps nobody. There are also problems with the commission's proposed model. A minimum requirement of 15 core representatives risks creating a body that is simply too large and cumbersome to reach timely agreement, especially when the just transition principle is defined so broadly. After the minimum membership requirement is met, discretion to make additional appointments will remain. Without clear safeguards to ensure a proper balance across sectors, that invites queries and concern about representation, priorities and accountability, rather than providing a clear, focused mechanism for progress. Indeed, there are other bodies that will inevitably duplicate work on these matters. Sequencing also matters if we are serious about a transition that does not leave people behind. Key supports, especially where agriculture is affected, should be up and running before we constitute a commission that is tasked with advising on how those supports should operate. As I said, doing it the other way around suggests that the process is being built in reverse. There is no meaningful assurance that the commission's concerns will be acted on, not just by the Minister but across Departments. Providing advice without a clear commitment to follow through risks becoming an exercise in what ultimately could be costly paperwork rather than a clearly thought-out road map with practical and, crucially, deliverable outcomes. For those reasons, we will not support the regulations.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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