Ms Laura Burke:

This is something that has to be debated and discussed. It depends on how we want to go about tackling climate change. Within the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act Ministers already have a responsibility to report what their Departments are doing. I am aware that this committee will ask various Ministers and Secretaries General to appear before it. Whether that is deemed to be sufficient, along with the reporting role the EPA has in highlighting it year on year, remains to be seen. I am slightly concerned about putting a large amount of effort into a body which then starts holding various Departments to account and threatening them rather than focusing on getting things done. If such a body was set up, it would be important to ensure that we still get the traction. Professor FitzGerald alluded to the fact that we do a great deal of talking. We have to make sure our national policy ambitions become actions. That is a concern I have.