NI to cut environmental red tape

A bill intended to strengthen environmental protection, simplify environmental legislation and reduce red tape for business has been passed by the Northern Irish Assembly.

The Environmental Better Regulation Bill was agreed yesterday (9 February), and when implemented will give the Northern Irish government powers to streamline environmental permitting process for businesses. Other changes that the bill will bring in include:

• a requirement for the Department of the Environment (DOE) to conduct a review to identify opportunities to make ‘powers of entry’ onto premises clearer and simpler;
• quicker and clearer ways of communicating authorised fuels and exempted fireplaces for use in a smoke control area;
• measures that will allow district councils to prepare and implement air quality action plans more quickly; and
• a faster, leaner and less confusing system for reporting on drinking water quality for public supplies.

Speaking after the debate on the bill, Environment Minister Mark H. Durkan said: “Smarter environmental regulation is better for the environment and better for business. There is currently a raft of legislation relating to environmental regulation under which permitted and regulated processes operate.

“This bill aims to harmonise and simplify this legislation. The bill will find less burdensome, less unnecessary, ways to regulate. At the same time, it finds better ways to protect the environment, while facilitating economic growth.”

Durkan claimed that the measures included in the bill will not weaken or compromise environmental protection standards, stating that “the smarter targeting of resources will enhance environmental protection”. The new system, he says, will support responsible businesses with swift, well-informed decisions and will target irresponsible ones that breach environmental laws.

The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent within the next six weeks. Once Royal Assent has been received, it will become law and will be known as the Environmental Better Regulation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.

Government restructure

In September, Durkan called for a ‘significant gear change’ in how environmental crime in tackled in Northern Ireland, particularly to deal with “infiltration of organised crime in the waste industry and to deal with the scourge of fuel laundering”.

The government is restructuring its departments in May this year, reducing the number from 12 to nine. As part of the restructuring, the functions of the DOE will be transferred into the new Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and Department for Communities (DfC).

The minister continued yesterday: “I am seizing this opportunity [of restructuring] to put the appropriate legislation and measures in place to ensure our environment gets the level of protection it deserves. This includes reducing red tape and unwieldy legislation to make it easier for other departments to carry out these functions.

“I have already done this successfully in Planning through the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS), which brought 800 pages of policy in to one single, strategic document. This bill will do the same for areas of environmental regulation. This will help to grow a sustainable economy whilst protecting our environment for now and future generations.”

Positive changes

Welcoming the legislation Joe McDonald, Asda Corporate Affairs Manager NI, said: “Asda welcomes the general thrust of the proposals for better and smarter environmental regulation. Removing excessive red tape from responsible businesses; simplifying processes around environmental permits and powers of entry; rewarding businesses which go beyond compliance; and reducing the financial cost to businesses would be very welcome. We hope that this bill will deliver these positive changes.”

Stephen McCabe, Senior Policy Officer with Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL), said: “NI Environment Link welcomes the department’s intention to introduce an integrated environmental permitting regime in Northern Ireland, as a way of simplifying and improving the current complex and fragmented system of regulation. Minimising bureaucracy for both business and government through unified permitting and monitoring, accompanied by the ‘risk based’ approach and full and clear guidance, will ensure clarity and make compliance easier, cheaper and less onerous than non-compliance for all honest businesses.”

The full Environmental Better Regulation Bill can be viewed on the Northern Irish Assembly website.