What are the new reporting regulations required under the Act which will affect public bodies?

There is a statutory requirement in the Act under Section 42 for DAERA, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive, to make new legislation (i.e. new regulations), which will require climate change reporting by specified public bodies. The new legislation must be made and come into operation before 6^th December 2023.  The Act requires prior consultation with relevant stakeholders before the regulations come into operation.

Section 42 of the Act gives powers to make new regulations which set duties on specified public bodies to report on climate change. However, it does not contain any powers or duties to require public bodies to deliver their functions in a certain way or to take any other specific actions beyond fulfilling their climate change reporting duty.

The climate change reporting duties that the regulations may impose, on specified public bodies, include preparing reports containing any of the following:

1. an assessment of the current and predicted impact of climate change in relation to the body’s functions;
2. a statement of the body’s proposals and policies for adapting to, or mitigating the effects of, climate change in the exercise of its functions;
3. a statement of the time-scales for implementing those proposals and policies; and
4. an assessment of the progress made by the body towards implementing the proposals and policies set out in any previous reports prepared under the regulations.

Stakeholder Engagement 

Section 42 of the Act also requires DAERA to consult with relevant stakeholders before making the new legislation, and DAERA intends to carry out a public consultation in early 2023. Before this consultation takes place, DAERA is running a series of targeted online workshop events. The workshops are intended to engage as many public bodies as possible, to gather their views on what climate change reporting by public bodies under the new legislation should look like. Feedback from these workshops will also help inform the development of the future consultation.

By taking part in the pre-consultation workshops, we will gather your views on:

1. Which public bodies should report under the new regulations
2. What should be reported on – i.e. questions which could be asked as a part of climate change reporting
3. The timeline for public bodies providing their completed reports
4. Whether the reporting is mandatory, or voluntary or a combination of both
5. How the reporting information collected could be used
6. What type of support might organisations need in order to help them to produce their reports

Find out more:

Stakeholder Briefing – Climate Change Reporting by Public Bodies

Template – Example of a potential climate change reporting questions

Benefits of Public Body Reporting

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for Stakeholders

Appendix 1 – Examples of Climate Change Reporting Requirements in Jurisdictions Outside Northern Ireland

Public Body Reporting Further Feedback Form

Presentations (pdf documents)

Introduction – Climate Change in Northern Ireland

DAERA Presentation – S42 Climate Change Reporting by Public Bodies

CCC Presentation – Public Body Climate Change Reporting in NI

How should Northern Ireland approach Climate Change Reporting by Public Bodies?