Dr. Rory O'Donnell:

There was also the idea of an independent climate change committee or commission. In our final chapter we discussed the institutional issue. In the interim report we decided that rather than offer a firm view on the solution of whatever institutional problem people think there is, to lay out what we thought were the dimensions of the issue. Our sense was that recommendations for new independent bodies are common and recommendations for redefining departmental boundaries are equally common. Our aim was to try to prompt a discussion among the Departments and the other stakeholders on the issue. To some degree we have found that discussion is happening. People have been coming to us and saying it is very interesting to think about the outfacing and the infacing about the high level of strategic decision making and the front-line action. So far we have remained agnostic on whether an independent commission is needed and whether, if created, it would be effective. There is a widespread sense that the high-level decision making has not been as clear and crisp in this area as it might have been but that there are these other dimensions as well.