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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Adaptation Reporting Power to direct reporting authorities on their measures to adapt to climate change.

The Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP), introduced as part of the Climate Change Act 2008, gives the Government the power to direct certain infrastructure operators and some public bodies to produce reports on how they are addressing their current and future climate risks.

Participation in ARP has continued to grow. In the fourth round (ARP4), which took place between July 2023 and December 2024, there were 101 reports submitted from over 200 organisations. Excluding the Local Authority pilot from ARP4, ARP4 had a response rate of over 80%, with 40% more reports submitted than ARP3.

As we approach the fifth round of reporting, due to begin in December 2026, we will continue to evaluate ways in which to improve the ARP process.