Climate change transformation board

Summary

The request sought membership details, meeting records, remuneration, and terms of reference for the Climate Change Transformation Board. The authority disclosed the full membership list, appointment dates, person specifications for advisors, and the revised terms of reference, though the provided text does not explicitly contain meeting attendance records or remuneration details.

Key Facts

• The Board is chaired by Hon Clare Barber, Minister DEFA, appointed in October 2024.
• The Board oversees the delivery of the Climate Change Plan 2022-2027 and manages the Climate Change Fund.
• A Low Carbon Buildings Specialist advisor is required to have over 10 years of background in the construction sector.
• The Board's Terms of Reference were revised to version 8.0 on 7th October 2024.
• The Board operates as a Departmental Body under the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA).

Data Disclosed

• October 2024
• January 2026
• October 2021
• August 2025
• 2022-2027
• 2050
• 7th October 2024
• V 8.0
• 10+ years
• 8 pages
• 4 documents

Original Request

I write to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act in relation to the Climate Change Transformation Board: 1. The current membership list, including Chair, political members, specialist advisors and any ex-officio members, together with their appointment dates and term lengths. 2. The number of Board meetings held in the past 24 months and the attendance record of each member/advisor. 3. Details of any remuneration paid to members or advisors in the past 24 months, including the basis of payment. 4. Where any member or advisor has been unavailable for an extended period in the past 24 months, please confirm what arrangements were made to ensure continuity of specialist advice. 5. The Board's current Terms of Reference and conflict of interest policy.

Data Tables (6)

Full Response Text

FOI 5307391, Climate Change Transformation Board

APPENDIX A The current membership list including Chair, political members; specialist advisers and any ex‑officio members, together with their appointment dates and term lengths Board Members (Voting Members): • Hon Clare Barber, Minister DEFA, MHK (Chair)- Appointed October 2024 • Mrs Dawn Kinnish, MLC, Member of DOI - Appointed October 2024 • Mr Paul Craine MLC (Vice-Chair) - Appointed October 2021 • Ms Joney Faragher, MHK (DOI representative whilst Mrs Dawn Kinnish is absent) - appointed January 2026 • Mrs Tanya August-Phillips, MLC Member of DEFA – Appointed October 2024 Board Officers (Non voting members) • Treasury Financial Partner - Appointed October 2024 • Chief Officer for DEFA - Appointed August 2025 • Climate Change Director, DEFA – Appointed October 2021 • Head of Energy Policy, DEFA – Appointed October 2024

FOI 5307391, Climate Change Transformation Board APPENDIX C

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Person specification for Board Advisors for the Climate Change Transformation Board

Key competencies and behaviours • An ability to communicate, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills including the ability to negotiate, persuade and build relationships at all levels. • An ability to provide impartial, objective and pragmatic advice. • The confidence and insight to make positive contributions to board discussions • An ability to contribute to discussions at a strategic level and an ability to think creatively. • Expert ability to process and interpret complex information; well-developed analytical reasoning skills and judgment. • They should command trust and respect and be able to manage politically sensitive situations
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team in delivering results. • Candidates should be able to demonstrate a good knowledge of the range of the Climate Change team’s work and understanding of climate policy both internationally and across the UK. • The Committee is seeking candidates that can demonstrate previous expertise in the power sector and the low carbon construction sector as set out under Description of role.

Person specification Low Carbon Buildings Specialist • Detailed understanding and familiarity with the move towards low carbon homes, building regulations (in particular Approved Document Part L), retrofit techniques, Passivhaus design principles and low carbon heating systems • ]Insight into other jurisdiction’s heating and buildings strategies (eg Scotland, UK) • Sufficient background (10+ years) in the construction sector, low carbon building design, the built environment, environmental design, whole life carbon life cycles and an understanding of climate resilience in the built environment • A reputation for your expertise and for robust analysis and thinking • It would be an added advantage, but is not a requirement, for you to have links into and an up to-date understanding of relevant international organisations and their work in this area (e.g. RICS, BREEAM, AECB, UKGBC).

CLIMATE CHANGE BOARD
REVISED TERMS OF REFERENCE Date created: 7th October 2024
Approved by Comin:
TBC Created by: Aly Lewin, Climate Change Team, DEFA
Approved by: TBC Revision No. V 8.0
Revision Date:
7th October 2024 Purpose To: • Oversee delivery of the Climate Change Plan 2022-2027, monitoring progress on delivery including the progression towards established climate change targets. • Approve business cases and spend from the Climate Change Fund and the Climate Change Mitigations Initiatives Fund. The primary aim of the funds is to provide funding for initiatives in the Isle of Man that support the objectives of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or any interim target.
• Oversee the implementation of the Climate Change Act and any secondary legislation. • Help address barriers to the effective delivery of climate action. • Provide political oversight and accountability to the Chief Minister and COMIN for the implementation of climate change action. Constitution The Board is a Departmental Body underneath the Minister for the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (‘DEFA’).
Confidentiality All papers and documentation issued in relation to the Board meetings and proceedings are subject to confidentiality as applies to the normal meetings and proceedings of DEFA and should be treated accordingly.
Documents should not be circulated for wider distribution other than to nominated officers without the necessary permission which will be secured by the Chair.
Conduct All Board Members of the Committee are required to abide by collective responsibility as per the Government Code.
APPENDIX C Members should avoid any perceived conflicts of interest but if unavoidable, immediately declare this at the outset of any meetings. Any such declaration will be recorded in the minutes.

Membership

The Board consists of:

Board Members (hold voting powers)

Minister for DEFA (Chair)
At least one Member of DEFA
Minister for the Department of Infrastructure (or delegated member)
Member of Tynwald (subject to CoMin approval)

Board Officers (do not hold voting powers)

Treasury Financial Partner
Chief Officer for DEFA
Climate Change Director, DEFA
Head of Energy Policy, DEFA

The Board will also be supported by Senior Officers from government departments as required. External specialists may be invited into meetings as and when required.

Quorum

The quorum of the Board will be three Board Members. The Board Members may participate in meetings of the Board from separate locations by means of online meetings or other communication equipment which allows those participating to hear each other and will be entitled to vote or be counted in the quorum accordingly.

Board Resolutions

A simple majority of Board Members, voting on the item in question, is required to reach a resolution. However, where the item has originated within DEFA then only one DEFA political representative may vote.
The Board may make resolutions in writing or by electronic means (including email). Any such resolution is valid and effective, as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Board duly convened and held, provided that notice and details of the proposed resolution have been given in advance to each Board Member; and the resolution is made by such Board Member/s as would have been necessary to pass such resolution had all Board Members been present at a meeting to consider it.

Meetings and Minutes

Where possible, a secretariat will be responsible for minute taking. However, minutes may also be taken by AI software and meetings may be recorded for the purpose of minutes being produced. Minutes will be issued in accordance with the minute taking guidance issued by Isle of Man Government.

The resulting document and/or audio recording may then be used to produce minutes manually.

Once the finalised minutes are approved by the Board the audio file and transcription will be deleted, and the approved minutes will constitute the official record of the meeting.

Mode of operation

The Board will meet as and when needed, but usually every two months. The Chair reserves the right to call additional meetings where necessary.

Items may also be shared and agreed in correspondence where these need to be addressed ahead of the next Board meeting, this can be done with the consent of the Chair.
Papers should be circulated to all Board Members, plus supporting officers, 5 working days in advance of Board meetings and draft minutes signed off and distributed within 10 working days of the meeting.
Board Members should fully apprise themselves of the detail of business to be discussed in advance of each meeting in order to play a full and active role in the work of the Board.

Reporting

The Board will ensure that minutes are kept and an annual stocktake of funding requests, approvals, business cases and spend is kept for good governance. The Board will ensure that updates are provided on fund spend and the meeting of objectives/KPIs post funding in order to monitor use of funds and ensure best use of spend.

Timescales

It is expected that the constitution of the Board will be in reviewed at the end of the current plan period in 2027.

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator Corporate Services Directorate Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no (01624) 685854 Fax no (01624 685851 Email: defa@gov.im www.gov.im

Our ref: 5307391 05 March 2026

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 17 February 2026, which states:

I write to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act in relation to the Climate Change Transformation Board:

1. The current membership list, including Chair, political members, specialist advisors and any ex-officio members, together with their appointment dates and term lengths.

2. The number of Board meetings held in the past 24 months and the attendance record of each member/advisor.

3. Details of any remuneration paid to members or advisors in the past 24 months, including the basis of payment.

4. Where any member or advisor has been unavailable for an extended period in the past 24 months, please confirm what arrangements were made to ensure continuity of specialist advice.

5. The Board's current Terms of Reference and conflict of interest policy.

Our response to your request is as follows

1. The current membership list, including Chair, political members, specialist advisors and any ex-officio members, together with their appointment dates and term lengths.

Please see Appendix A

1. The number of Board meetings held in the past 24 months and the attendance record of each member/advisor.

Please see Appendix B

Section 25(b)(i)&(ii) – Absolutely exempt personal information
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because it is absolutely exempt under section 25(2)(b)(i)&(ii) of the Act (absolutely exempt personal information). The reasons why that exemption applies are that:

• The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is satisfied that the information amounts to personal data of which you are not the data subject; and

• The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture is satisfied that disclosure of the information would contravene one of the data protection principles as set out at Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation as it applies in the Isle of Man pursuant to the Data Protection (Application of GDPR) Order 2018, namely that the Department of Environment Food and Agriculture can only disclose the information where it would be fair, lawful and meet one of the conditions for lawful processing in Article 6 and in this case, none of those conditions have been met.

1. Details of any remuneration paid to members or advisors in the past 24 months, including the basis of payment.

A Board Advisor was paid £789 per day and expected to work 1.5 days per month for services to the Board. Final payment was made on the 6 December 2024.

Please see Appendix C

1. Where any member or advisor has been unavailable for an extended period in the past 24 months, please confirm what arrangements were made to ensure continuity of specialist advice.

Ms Joney Faragher, MHK, was appointed to the Board in January 2026 as the Department of Infrastructure representative whilst Ms Dawn Kinnish is absent.

1. The Board's current Terms of Reference and conflict of interest policy.

Please see Appendix D

Please quote the reference number 5307391 in any future communications.

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Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely