Ms Ciara Kirrane:

Deputy Nash asked who should sit on the body. The heads of Bill indicate there should be four ex officio members but we believe members should all be scientific experts and there should be no ex officio members from the Departments. It would be a key issue for all members to be independent, and that would feed into the independence of the committee. The members could come from the scientific community, as it would be the most credible way to take forward that body. The members would have to maintain independence by having an ability to publish their own reports, with the mandatory requirement for the Government to consult with the body on the development of low-carbon roadmaps.

Having a Bill in the first place is a very positive step and it will ensure we meet our obligations. There is also a positive in some of the accountability mechanisms, although we need to strengthen the role of the expert body and those roadmaps on a more regular basis.