7. Mr Durkan asked the Assembly Commission for an update on efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of Parliament Buildings. (AQO 671/22-27)

I thank the Member for his question. The Assembly Commission strives to be an exemplar organisation when it comes to sustainable development. It has implemented a range of measures to reduce the carbon footprint and improve the environmental performance of Parliament Buildings. Over recent years, the Commission has introduced rainwater collection for flushing some toilets, as well as introducing photovoltaic panels and solar thermal tubes. The heating boilers were also replaced with energy-efficient gas boilers at that time, and, subsequently, the Commission made modifications and improvements to the Building's energy management system (BEMS). We have replaced light bulbs with more energy-efficient LED lamps and installed Hippos in the toilets to reduce the amount of water used to flush.

The Assembly Commission sets ambitious targets to help to reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to energy use, the amount of waste generated and paper consumption, and is committed to achieving year-on-year reductions. For example, in the reporting year 2023-24, we managed a 17% reduction in gas usage and a 35% reduction in paper usage against the baseline year of 2019-2020. We work with the Stormont estate maintenance unit and the waste contractor, and we have a "zero waste to landfill" policy. The Assembly Commission's sustainable development office works closely with a number of partners to introduce energy-saving solutions and to ensure continuous improvement. One such example is working with the Department for the Economy in relation to the geothermal technology on the Stormont estate and the investigation of possible solutions for heating.

I thank Miss McAllister for that answer. It contained a lot of good news and positive actions that the Assembly Commission has taken. The new energy management system is very efficient; it certainly manages to make this place unbearably warm. Will Miss McAllister outline to us or undertake to report back on how the Assembly Commission is progressing towards the eradication of single-use plastics in Parliament Buildings?

I thank the Member for his question. That issue arose before my time on the Assembly Commission. I understand that there will be and should be progress on it. I commit to ensuring that that issue is put on the agenda for the forthcoming Assembly Commission meeting.

As I advised, question 8 has been withdrawn.