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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

I hope that the new clause and amendment will find favour in the House because they will establish a statutory duty for sustainable development on public authorities in Northern Ireland. They will ensure that public authorities act in a manner that best contributes to the objectives of sustainable development. You may be aware, Mr. Speaker, that on 9 May my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched the Northern Ireland sustainable development strategy, which in itself establishes a framework and focus for tackling the challenges that lie ahead on sustainable development and environmental protection, to provide a better future for future generations in Northern Ireland. It is self-evident that global warming is a continuing problem, and the Government and the people of Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom need to support measures that tackle the problem and make our communities more sustainable. There are certainly measures that we can take which will help to achieve those objectives and aims. Without a doubt, we need to look not only at our own lives, but at our public bodies and institutions to see how we can deliver a strategy to help us make more responsible choices on sustainable development. We need to take account of long-term sustainability. The Government are committed to that, and we need to ensure that we take a lead on that in government so that we meet sustainable objectives and set a framework to encourage others, particularly public bodies, to do so as well. The new clause gives a power to the Secretary of State to put a statutory duty on public authorities. It sends a strong signal from the Government that we are serious about tackling global warming, encouraging sustainable development and making those objectives a reality, not just in government, but in other public bodies in Northern Ireland. The policy will allow for the transfer from the Department of the Environment to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister the ability to set sustainable targets. I shortly expect to consult further on what those targets and objectives should be.