Minister in North shuns cross-border co-operation

A minister in the North minister has banned officials in the Republic from sitting on committees advising his department, it was confirmed today.

Despite the long-standing cross-border co-operation in Ireland on green issues, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) environment minister Sammy Wilson refused to renew the appointment of one leading environmentalist from the Republic and is expected to cull others from his advisory committees.

Mr Wilson argued he did not need advisers from outside the North to work on internal policy issues, but he has been accused of using his office to score political points.

The Department of Environment (DoE) confirmed Patrick Warner, a divisional manager in the Republic’s National Parks and Wildlife Service, was told he would not be reappointed to the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC) when his three-year term ends in February.

A DoE spokesman said: “Mr Warner was appointed by the DoE minister during direct rule. We now have a new regime.

“We have devolution. The minister feels people from Northern Ireland should be serving on boards relating to Northern Ireland.”

It is understood officials from the Republic currently serving on Historic Monuments Council and the Historic Buildings Council may also be told their terms in office will not be renewed.

The move comes as the DUP and Sinn Féin are at loggerheads over a series of issues, causing increasing disruption to the work of the Northern Assembly.

The chair of the Assembly’s environment committee, Patsy McGlone of SDLP, hit out at Mr Wilson’s move.

“This is a classic case of a minister using his office to score a DUP point,” he said.

“What he is doing here is playing politics with the environment of the island.”

Mr McGlone said cross-border co-operation was vital to many important areas of DoE work, including issues outside care for the environment such as road safety.

He said the move sent out a dangerous message and he warned against any erosion of all-island co-operation.

“There are issues which we hear of so often, especially from the DUP, such as illegal dumping on the border, where co-operation is vital,” said Mr McGlone.

“This is crazy stuff that makes no sense whatsoever.”

Mr Wilson has also sparked controversy since coming to office by challenging international efforts to combat global warming, claiming climate change may not be caused by man, but is a natural phenomenon.