Inaugural Meeting Of
 The British-Irish Council
 (Environment Sectoral Group)
 

The British-Irish Council Environment Sectoral Group BIC(E) held its first meeting today in London. It was convened in response to the British–Irish Council (BIC) summit of 17 December 1999 which identified the environment as one of the issues for early discussion.

The BIC was established under the Good Friday Agreement as a forum for its members to work together on matters of mutual interest within their respective competencies. The Environment Sectoral Group will consider and report back to the Council on matters concerning the environment as it affects the administrations.

The British and Irish Governments were represented by Michael Meacher MP, the British Environment Minister, who also chaired the meeting and Noel Dempsey TD Minister of the Environment and Local Government for Ireland.

The Devolved Administrations were represented by Sarah Boyack MSP Minister for Transport and the Environment, Scottish Executive; Sam Foster MLA, Minister for the Environment, and Martin McGuinness MP, MLA, Education Minister, both of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The National Assembly for Wales was represented by Bob Macey.

The Isle of Man was represented by the Hon Walter Gilbey MHK, Minister for Local Government and the Environment; Jersey was represented by Senator Nigel Queree, President of  the Planning and Environment Committee, States of Jersey; Guernsey was represented by Deputy Roger Berry, President of the Board of Administration.

A full list of delegation members is attached.

The members of the Group were agreed that the environment was of vital importance to all of their administrations and felt that there were many environmental issues of mutual interest on which the Group would provide an excellent forum for discussion and closer co-operation.

At the meeting the Group agreed on the range of issues which it should initially aim to take forward. Members also agreed that officer level sub groups should be set up to progress consideration of the selected subjects and to report back to the Group and the BIC summit.

The Group considered a paper by the British Government which reviewed the conclusions of the OSPAR Regional Quality Status Report on the Celtic Seas and considered the arrangements already in place for intergovernmental action to follow up those conclusions. The Group agreed that a high level of liaison and co-operation should continue between officials of the administrations involved in order to facilitate the implementation of all appropriate measures and the identification of any new initiatives which may need to be taken from time to time. 

This liaison and co-operation will enhance the arrangements already in place, which the Group concluded had been working well. 

The Group’s conclusions will be tabled at the next BIC summit.

The Scottish Executive kindly offered to host the next meeting of the Group which would report to the subsequent summit of the British-Irish Council.

British Irish Council (Environment Sectoral Group)

2 October 2000

British-Irish Council (Environment Sectoral Group)

Inaugural meeting, London 2 October 2000

List of Delegates