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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Measuring and reporting public sector greenhouse gas emissions

Status: Closed Opened: 9 Jun 2022 Closed: 24 Feb 2023 11 recommendations 7 conclusions 1 report

In June 2019, the government committed in law to achieving ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The overall responsibility for achieving net zero was assigned to the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy which published the Net Zero Strategy two years later in October 2021, committing government and wider public sector to lead …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-Third Report - Measuring and reporting public sector… HC 39 2 Nov 2022 18 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
2 Recommendation Twenty-Third Report - Measuring and rep… Deferred

The public sector as a whole lacks clear standards for measuring and reporting emissions.

The public sector as a whole lacks clear standards for measuring and reporting emissions. BEIS has set expectations that all public sector bodies should consistently measure and report their emissions, but BEIS, HM Treasury and Defra have so far only produced mandatory reporting guidance for central government. Some parts of …

Government response. The government will set out a timetable for further work towards a coherent measurement and reporting framework in summer 2023, dependent on views from other relevant authorities across the public sector who are responsible for setting their own reporting requirements.
HM Treasury
5 Recommendation Twenty-Third Report - Measuring and rep… Deferred

The public sector risks falling behind on the reporting of its emissions but could learn...

The public sector risks falling behind on the reporting of its emissions but could learn from developing practice in private sector and the devolved administrations. While the UK government has committed to leading by example in efforts to decarbonise, other sectors and the devolved administrations are already doing more to …

Government response. The government agrees to consider scope 3 emissions reporting requirements for the public sector, but this will be addressed during 2023-25, with any requirements set out in the 2026-30 GGCs and amendments made in SRG updates as appropriate.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
4 Jul 2022 Ben Rimmington · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, David Hill · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Sarah Munby · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Steve Field · HM Treasury View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
8 Sep 2022 — Correspondence from Sarah Munby, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Department…