“An honour and a privilege”
Anna Lo MLA speaks to Adam Morton about her time as Chair of the Committee for the Environment.
Elected as an MLA in 2007, Anna Lo has always had an interest in environmental issues and was only too delighted to take up the post of Chair in the Committee for the Environment in 2011. The South Belfast representative claims that whilst on the committee she has made many new friends and has learnt a lot about the environment and the legislation that surrounds it.
“I certainly feel honoured to be leading the Committee for the Environment,” said Lo. “I have always been very interested in environmental issues and I have learnt so much more about the natural environment, the beauty environment, EU regulations and directives and waste management. I never knew waste management involved so much but it is so important to all of us that waste is being recycled. I also have a much broader knowledge now of new concepts such as the circular economy.”
Describing the role of the committee, Lo explained that as a statutory committee, it is tasked with scrutinising the work of the Environment Minister, Mark H. Durkan MLA. The committee’s main function is to consider and advise the Minister on the departmental budget and the monitoring rounds during the year in terms of departmental expenditure. The committee is also focused on policy formulation. When there is a new bill or regulation that the department wants to implement, a public consultation process must occur and it is the committee’s role to assess the responses.
The committee also scrutinises legislation clause by clause and works with stakeholders to ensure the best legislation is put to the chamber for approval. It also has the power to initiate its own enquires and last year, produced a report on wind energy that led to the department announcing a review of its energy policies.
Challenges
The variety of the work required from committee members often presents a challenge as the committee only meets once a week. On top of the functions described above, Lo says the committee also actively tries to communicate and engage with people on the ground. Looking at the immediate challenges facing the committee, Lo claims the focus is really on finishing the necessary work before the mandate expires at the end of March.
“We have only a few months to go and we still have a raft of secondary legislation guidelines from the department that need reviewed,” she said. “We have just finished the Environmental Better Regulation Bill and that is now in plenary session and we are about to start our scrutiny of the scrap metal bill, so we are very busy as we approach our final deadline.
Looking further ahead, Lo claimed that the restructuring of the departments in the next mandate will see the functions of the department split in three ways. The department’s current local government functions will be transferred to the new Department for Communities and road safety powers will be transferred to the Department of Infrastructure. With this split, Lo fears that important environmental issues may fall off their deserved pedestal. “Given this necessary restructuring, we very much hope and want to see environmental issues remain at the forefront of the new department and committee’s priority list,” she said.
When quizzed about the challenges of her role as committee Chair, Lo pointed out that prior to taking this position, she had previous experience chairing other committees, though she does admit that this experience didn’t make the job any easier. Lo praised her fellow committee members for their ability to focus on the issues and, for the most part, remove party politics from the decision making process. However, she did acknowledge the fact that being a member of small party and a committee Chair brings with it its own unique challenges.
“I am almost a lone voice on the committee,” said Lo. “So it is all about being open and listening to everyone’s views. The past five years have taught me how to really listen to everyone’s views and from there how to reach a consensus. I always rely on departmental briefings and evidenced based policy processes. For me, it is always about putting forward the best evidence when we are in the process of making decisions.”
Recollections
As talk turned to her proudest moment on the environment committee, Lo was quick to highlight her role in initiating the first ever environment week in Northern Ireland. “We had a series of events both inside and outside Parliament Buildings with a strong focus on environmental issues,” she said. “It was really a celebration of the strong environmental sector we have and it brought all the departmental staff together with key stakeholders.
“One of the initiatives that came from that week was called ‘species champion.’ We asked MLAs, particularly those on the environment committee, to sponsor a species that is under threat in their constituencies. We have had bumblebees, barn owls and red squirrels sponsored and I have sponsored the swift. The MLAs must raise awareness of their animal for a year and work with voluntary organisations to see what they can do for the species. I am delighted with how the initiative has gone so far.”
Looking back to the start of her time as committee Chair, Lo fondly recalls her amendment to the Marine Act as one of her proudest moments. Unable to persuade the committee during the scrutiny stage to adopt an amendment ensuring that sustainability was included as a purpose for the act, Lo added the amendment at the consideration stage. “I did not believe it would get passed but I thought there was no harm in trying,” said Lo with a playful smile. “Thankfully it did pass and the legislation now has the purpose to pay regard to sustainability and that’s very very important.”
Lo also confirmed that she has made her decision to stand down at the end of this political mandate and nothing will change her mind. “No, I’m done,” she said when quizzed about the possibility of a return to Stormont after the elections. “There is plenty of young people out there and lots of new blood to take my place, it is time for me to stand aside and let the next generation come through,” she concluded.
