Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the net zero targets are for (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s-length bodies; and whether guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008 is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual departments or arms-length bodies.

The Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK Government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.

Defra is reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with Government priorities.

The Environment Agency (Environment Agency: reaching net zero - GOV.UK), Foresty England (Cutting our carbon emissions | Forestry England), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew commits to become climate positive by 2030 | Kew) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas 2030) have published separate emissions targets.