Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Identify clear cross-government responsibilities for overseeing progress on each net zero technology area.
Conclusion
Despite the Government’s ambition to have an effective end-to-end innovation system, responsibility for overseeing progress is siloed, making it difficult to assess progress across each of the priority technology areas. No single person or organisation has responsibility for overseeing the performance of government support for the end-to-end innovation system. Without such oversight, there is a risk that support is not targeted effectively at the right innovation stages, that barriers to market deployment are not addressed quickly, and that businesses and the research community lack a clear focal point for providing feedback. DESNZ says that there is already a lot of joint working, and has put in place a governance and oversight process through the Net Zero Innovation Board, supported by the Innovation Delivery Board. However, it acknowledges that there is more to do, in particular to bridge the boundary between research and innovation on the one hand and deployment and commercialisation on the other. Recommendation 4: DESNZ, working with other departments, should identify clear responsibilities for overseeing cross-government progress on each of the net zero technologies. These responsibilities should include paying particular attention to whether factors that might impede deployment of viable technologies are being given early enough attention, for example by policy teams, regulators and the investment community.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will agree a set of actions and responsibilities between the Sub-IRIG and Net Zero Innovation Board to strengthen governance for cross-government progress on net zero technologies, including identifying key interdependencies.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. ensuring the whole of government works effectively to achieve it. The government has established arrangements for coordinating the main departments including the Domestic and Economic Affairs (Energy, Climate and Net Zero) Committee, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for considering matters relating to energy and to the delivery of the UK’s domestic and international climate strategy. Officials in DESNZ work with counterparts across government to coordinate action and manage cross-departmental risks and to ensure net zero is embedded in government policy and decision-making. The setting of common goals is also achieved through Outcome Delivery Plans, and the sector specific public commitments in the recent Net Zero Growth Plan, help to drive accountability for achieving net zero in each leading department. For overall net zero delivery governance, the Net Zero Integrated Review Implementation sub-Group (sub-IRIG) comprises senior officials from across government with responsibility for establishing and implementing a cross-government net zero delivery strategy. The Net Zero Innovation Board (NZIB), chaired by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser with representatives from across government, is responsible for providing coordinated and strategic oversight on net zero R&I programmes and ensuring alignment with government priorities. A set of actions and responsibilities between the Sub-IRIG and NZIB will be agreed to strengthen governance around the end-to-end cross-government progress on net zero technologies. This will include identifying key interdependencies between R&I programmes and wider net zero policy, regulation and investment, and mitigating challenges as they are identified.