Under NATO’s Article 3 obligations, the UK has committed to a “national resilience” 1.5% of GDP spending target, including protecting critical infrastructure, defending networks, ensuring civil preparedness and resilience, innovating, and strengthening the defence industrial base. This inquiry will seek to understand what the responsibilities and roles of UK Defence are under Article 3 and whether the UK is currently capable of fulfilling these responsibilities.

It will explore the contributions towards Article 3 obligations from each department and whether the cross-government work on preparedness and resilience is effective. It will also examine best practice from Allies across Europe.

The inquiry will explore:

• how well these transport challenges are understood by national and local decision-makers;
• whether existing powers, funding and policies are sufficient to help address these challenges or whether they could be better targeted;
• what role employers and transport operators might play in breaking down these transport barriers; and
• what could be done to make things better?

Read the call for written evidence.

Through its inquiry, the Committee will consider whether the government’s current approach to adaptation goes far enough and what changes are needed to improve the UK’s resilience. The new inquiry comes shortly after the UK experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1884, with nearly three-quarters of England and Wales in drought, 23,000 hectares destroyed in major wildfires and the year’s harvest expected to be the worst on record. 

Action has historically focused on reducing emissions, but scientists now agree that the climate will change significantly even if global targets are reached. By 2050, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) believes heatwaves will cause 92% of existing homes to overheat, peak river flows to be higher, longer lasting and increasing the risk of flooding and drier weather leading to water supply running five billion litres short a day. 

The Committee invites written evidence on a range of topics including:  

• The most significant climate risks facing the UK and whether the government’s approach to adaptation is fit for purpose  

• Whether the UK’s key infrastructure, including water, transport, communications and health are adequately prepared for extreme weather  

• What support farmers need to adapt to climate change and the role of nature-based solutions  

• How it should measure progress on adaptation  

• Whether DEFRA and the Environment Agency are equipped to coordinate adaptation across government and whether enough funding is being invested in adaptation across government  

Read the call for evidence for more information about this inquiry, and to find out how to submit written evidence through the Committee's online evidence submission portal.

You can submit evidence until 16.00 on 26 October 2026.

Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry

• scrutinise the government's approach to the Skilled Worker visa
• consider how decisions are made about which occupations should be eligible for work visas
• examine the link between skills policy and immigration policy 
• consider when and how work migration should form part of the response to labour shortages
• evaluate the effectiveness of cross-government working on work migration

Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry.

The Committee expects evidence to focus on UK defence interests, military operations, force posture and defence partnerships in the Gulf, including with Gulf partner states and other regional actors where these bear directly on UK defence interests.

The Committee will consider how government could most effectively prevent risks to women’s safety when they make journeys in the UK, what interventions are most effective to respond to incidents of violence, intimidation or harassment, and how well the Department for Transport is working to ensure safer journeys for women and girls.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING EVIDENCE: 23:59 on 9 October 2026.