Sinn Féin spokesperson for Climate Justice, Senator Lynn Boylan, has raised concerns around Minister Ryan failing to meet the important legal obligation to report on government’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

Senator Boylan said:

“In December 2020, I raised concerns about the delay in reporting on climate action for 2019. Now the Minister Ryan is saying he won’t even bother reporting on 2020 at all.

“Producing an Annual Transition Statement is an essential source of evidence on the government’s track record to tackle climate change.

“It’s also a primary opportunity to hold the government to account. But more than that, it is a clear legal obligation on the Minister and a centre piece of the 2015 Climate Act.

“The expert witnesses who came before the Climate Action Committee were at pains to stress the need to hold the government to account for its commitments. Those commitments simply aren’t worth the paper they are written on if they are not followed through on.

“It is highly concerning that a minister can so brazenly ignore the law. Minister Ryan is failing his first test of accountability and simply not meeting his legal obligation.

“This is a dangerous precedent to set and highlights the need for strong measures for accountability in the Climate Bill.”