To ask the Minister of Finance how she intends to incorporate climate considerations into the budget process.

Under the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, all departments are required to exercise their functions in a manner that is consistent with achieving emissions targets and carbon budgets as far as possible.

As climate action is so far reaching, it should be a consideration right across spending areas in departments and not limited to actions that can be funded from additional allocations in what is a very constrained financial environment.

Therefore, I will be encouraging my Executive colleagues to consider the statutory obligations in the Climate Change Act when prioritising expenditure within the funding envelopes provided to their departments in the Budget 2024-25.

Of course, any requests for additional funding from departments for specific actions to address climate change will be considered by the Executive alongside other priorities in the context of the funding available.