Viewpoint: New Environmental Watchdog Needed
As described by the review panel, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would act as a “champion for the environment”, replacing the existing system which it sees as “unfit for purpose”. Operating outside government control, it would take over key powers of the Department of the Environment (DoE) to make sure that Northern Ireland complied with best practice and avoided financial penalties under European law.
Lord Rooker, who set up the review under direct rule, obviously thought there were flaws in the existing system, so the new executive can hardly overlook its findings. The EPA’s responsibilities, mirroring those of the existing body in England and Wales, would include monitoring and reporting on the state of the environment, enforcing pollution and conservation regulations, prosecuting offenders and advising on policy.
Much of this already comes under the heading of the DoE, but the essential difference is that the EPA would be independent of government and could act as a ginger group, identifying where standards are not being met and urging better co-ordination between departments. Hardly a day goes by without some environmental issue hitting the headlines, usually critical of the authorities, and yet – as the review group found – “regulation is widely perceived to be inconsistent and lacking in transparency”.
Who would disagree with the conclusion that there had been a loss of confidence in the direct rule government’s willingness and capacity to enforce environmental policy “in a fair, consistent and predictable manner”? Whether it is to do with polluted beaches, owing to over-development, or the destruction of mature trees and protected buildings, the law is constantly being breached, without appropriate penalties.
Wherever there is a “green” agenda, there will be opposition on the grounds that any further regulation can affect investment and employment. But protecting the environment is in everyone’s interests, not only to promote tourism but to avoid European fines, and there will be widespread support for the proposal to allow appeal proceedings against planning decisions.
Most parties in the Assembly will support the recommendations, but there must be some concern that neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein made written submissions to the review body. Virtually every legislature in the world is exercised by environmental issues and climate change, so it is unthinkable that the Assembly would put the EPA proposal on the long finger – even though, in Britain, it involves a budget of pound(s)850m and employs 11,500 staff. A healthy future depends on a healthy environment.
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