The Institute of Public Health responded to a consultation on a discussion paper on
Environmental Plans, Principles and Governance for Northern Ireland, launched
by the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) in
December 2020.
The discussion paper sought the views of stakeholders on environmental plans,
principles and governance after the ending of the EU withdrawal transition
period.
Key discussion points relate to an Environment Bill introduced to Parliament on
30 January 2020, which gave Northern Ireland Ministers the option to:
• extend the jurisdiction of an Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to
Northern Ireland;
• embed environmental principles into policy decisions of Northern Ireland
government departments; and
• prepare and publish environmental improvement plans.
Key Observations
In this submission, the Institute highlights the relationship and
interconnectedness between the environment, health, and climate change and
the need to adopt a ‘health in all policies’ approach.
IPH also made a series of recommendations, including that the relationship
between the environment and human health is made explicit within
environmental principles and governance and that the Office for Environmental
Protection (OEP) operates in partnership with public bodies responsible for
population health, including the Department of Health and the Public Health
Agency in Northern Ireland.
Access the full IPH consultation response here or read below.
