Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

Climate change reporting by public bodies

42.—(1) The Department must make regulations that impose, on specified public bodies, specified climate change reporting duties.

“Specified” means specified in the regulations.

(2) In this section “public body” means—

(a) a person or body with functions of a public nature;

(b) a person who is a statutory undertaker within the meaning of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (see section 250 of that Act).

(3) The climate change reporting duties that may be imposed on a body under subsection (1) include in particular duties to prepare reports containing any of the following—

(a) an assessment of the current and predicted impact of climate change in relation to the body’s functions;

(b) 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;

(c) a statement of the time-scales for implementing those proposals and policies;

(d) 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.

(4) The regulations may require public bodies to have regard to (among other things) the following, so far as relevant—

(a) the most recent report under section 56 of the Climate Change Act 2008 (report on impact of climate change);

(b) the most recent programme under section 60 of that Act (programme for adaptation to climate change for Northern Ireland);

(c) the desirability of co-ordinating the proposals and policies referred to in subsection (3)(b) with corresponding proposals and policies in other parts of the United Kingdom, in the Republic of Ireland or elsewhere.

(5) The regulations may make provision about—

(a) the contents of a report (including the time period to which the report relates);

(b) the time period within which a report must be prepared;

(c) co-operation between public bodies in the preparation of a report, or the preparation of a joint report by two or more public bodies;

(d) the form of reports;

(e) the publication of reports.

(6) The regulations may confer functions on the Department in connection with the duties imposed by the regulations.

(7) The Department must consult such public bodies, and such other persons, as it considers appropriate before making the regulations.

(8) The first regulations made under this section must come into operation before the end of the period of 18 months beginning with the day on which this Act receives Royal Assent.