Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any advice from the Climate Change Committee regarding making the United Kingdom's nationally determined contribution binding in law; and, if so, what was that advice.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) has no statutory responsibilities in relation to the NDC. However, to benefit from its independent expertise, the Secretary of State wrote to the CCC to request guidance on the UK’s 2035 nationally determined contribution (NDC). The CCC's guidance was published in October 2024 and included the recommendation that the UK’s NDC commit to a reduction in territorial greenhouse emissions of 81% from 1990 to 2035. The CCC advised that this target would be consistent with the emissions reductions required to meet the UK’s legally binding Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-2037). This guidance did not include any advice on making the 2035 NDC binding in law.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 29 January (HL4088), where the Climate Change Committee has advised that "it did not consider it necessary for Government to reset existing targets".
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In December 2020, the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) presented a report to the Secretary of State entitled “The Sixth Carbon Budget: The UK’s Path to Net Zero.” This report, a statutory obligation under Section 34 of the Climate Change Act, included recommendations for the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget, set to run from 2033 to 2037. In the report, the CCC noted that “it is for the Government to decide whether the currently legislated budgets [the fourth and fifth, covering 2023-2027 and 2028-32] should be amended to bring them in line with the Net Zero 2050 target, however the Committee does not consider it necessary to change the budget level in law – the focus should be on developing policy to deliver the new Sixth Carbon Budget and the UK’s NDC for 2030.” We will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all the sectors in due course.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to trial a rights reservation mechanism, with satisfactory feedback from rightsholders, prior to proposing any copyright exception for text and data mining by artificial intelligence.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.
This consultation seeks views on proposals to introduce a text and data mining exception alongside a rights reservation mechanism and transparency measures. The Government believes these measures should progress together and could come into operation when effective, proportionate, and accessible technological solutions were in place.
The Government recognises the vital importance of right holder feedback on a rights reservation mechanism, and how it will work in practice, and will take this feedback into account as it develops its approach.
The consultation closes on 25 February.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Advertising Standards Authority’s measures to ensure gambling advertisements do not reach underage audiences; and what plans they have to review the authority’s performance as regulator.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The ASA is the UK’s independent frontline regulator of adverts and works closely with a network of partner regulators, including Ofcom and the Gambling Commission, which act as a legal backstop to the ASA’s day-to-day enforcement in some areas. While government cannot formally review the performance of the ASA we engage regularly with the regulator to understand issues of non-compliance with its codes and how it adapts and responds to changes in the advertising industry.
The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committees of Advertising Practice (BCAP) Codes, enforced by the ASA, contain a wide range of provisions that are designed to protect children and ensure that gambling adverts are socially responsible. Operators must ensure that their advertising is not targeted at children and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience. Operators must also ensure that they take all reasonable steps to use data available to exclude individuals on the basis of their age or other relevant criteria.
We continue to monitor the best available evidence in this area and will consider appropriate action as necessary.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 24 December 2024 (HL3494), what assessment they have made of the alignment between the United Kingdom’s Nationally Determined Contribution for 2030, which requires that emissions do not exceed around 260 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and the existing legally binding framework set by the fifth carbon budget, which limits emissions for the period 2028 to 2032 to around 345 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s 2030 nationally determined contribution - to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% on 1990 levels – represents an increase in ambition on the UK’s fifth carbon budget, which covers the period 2028-2032. The UK will need to overachieve on the fifth carbon budget to meet the 2030 NDC and stay on track for the sixth carbon budget. In its advice to Government on the setting of the UK’s sixth carbon budget, the Climate Change Committee advised that it did not consider it necessary for Government to reset existing targets, and instead advised that once the 2030 NDC and sixth carbon budget were set on the path to net zero, that these would provide a clear target for UK emissions reductions.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what performance management system is used by HM Prison and Probation Service; when it was last reviewed; and whether it requires managers to submit annual appraisal markings for staff.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMPPS adheres to an internal Performance Management Policy that applies to all staff in Ministry of Justice Headquarters and its agencies upon confirmation of successfully completing probation. The policy includes setting agreed performance expectations, having regular performance conversations, supporting performance and holding quarterly reviews to identify members of staff who are high performing and those that may require support.
The HMPPS policy was published in April 2022, with no imminent date for review. There is no requirement to submit annual appraisal markings for individual staff.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 January (HL3653), what is the projected reduction in emissions from each of the future policies under consideration or in development; and what is the estimated total reduction in emissions as a result of these policies.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will deliver an updated Carbon Budget Delivery that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all the sectors, in due course. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 on a pathway to net zero.
Looking ahead, we will set Carbon Budget 7 by June 2026, in line with our statutory duties. This will set out the next phase of our pathway to net zero and policies to further decarbonise the UK economy.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 January (HL3653), what future policies relating to reducing greenhouse gas emissions are (1) under consideration and (2) in development.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will deliver an updated Carbon Budget Delivery that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all the sectors, in due course. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 on a pathway to net zero.
Looking ahead, we will set Carbon Budget 7 by June 2026, in line with our statutory duties. This will set out the next phase of our pathway to net zero and policies to further decarbonise the UK economy.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains their target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 68 per cent on 1990 levels by 2030, as set in the United Kingdom’s 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s 2030 NDC target – to reduce economy wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% on 1990 levels – is a fair and ambitious contribution to global action on climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and remains in place.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of UK carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2030 from (1) terrestrial emissions, (2) terrestrial emissions plus international aviation and shipping emissions, and (3) the emissions in both of those categories plus import emissions.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The figures below show the Government’s latest published projections for the UK’s territorial emissions in 2030 in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), first excluding and then including emissions from International Aviation and Shipping (IAS). These estimates do not take account of future policies or those currently under development, which the Government expects will lead to lower emissions than those reported below.
2030
Terrestrial emissions excluding IAS 327
Terrestrial emissions including IAS 371
The Government publishes estimates of embedded emissions from imported goods in ‘UK and England's carbon footprint to 2021’. However, projections of these emissions are not available.