Gardiner suspects Environment Minister is not going to establish an independent Environmental Protection Agency
Ulster Unionist Environment Spokesman, Sam Gardiner MLA today aid he was deeply disappointed that there was no mention of an independent Environmental Protection Agency in the Draft Programme for Government.
“This is a very bad signal since the Programme for Government is a three year programme and the absence of this vital piece of legislation points to the Minister of the Environment avoiding the issue.”
“If there is no action on this by the end of January, I will either be tabling a Private Member’s Bill or pushing for an Environment Committee Bill to set up an independent Environmental protection Agency. If the Minister will not give a lead, the Assembly Environment Committee can. ”
“I have concerns about the DUP’s position on this issue and that is why I will be taking this course of action. The DUP, for example, failed to turn up to give evidence to the high-level enquiry which I could hardly believe at the time. I suspect they are double-minded on this issue.”
“With all the environmental mistakes in my Upper Bann constituency such as the wanton destruction of the Waringstown Rath over which the Environment and Heritage Service was totally ineffective, I want to see an independent Environmental Protection Agency that actually does its job.”
“The creation of an Environmental Protection Agency, independent of government, would strip away much of the Department of the Environment’s functions and that is another reason why the DOE establishment will want to stop it. It will break up their department.”
“This is the only part of the UK not to have an independent Environmental Protection Agency and it is more than strange that the DUP, as a unionist party, does not want us to be in step with the rest of the UK.”
“I will watch developments over this issue with interest.”