Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to sub-target two of the Greening Government Commitments reporting requirements for 2021 to 2025 last updated on 15 December 2022, whether his Department follows the encouragement in that guidance to (a) monitor and (b) report on the number of domestic flights for which his Department is responsible each year; and how many domestic flights were taken by Ministers in her Department in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

Under the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) 2021 to 2025 framework reporting requirements, departments and partner organisations are required to report the total distance travelled by domestic business flights [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025/greening-government-commitments-reporting-requirements-for-2021-to-2025#operational-targets-and-commitments]. In-year carbon conversion factors will be used to arrive at the total emissions from each department's domestic business flights. This will be published in future GGC annual reports. Departments and partner organisations are encouraged to report on the total number of domestic business flights to further our understanding of journey types.

This voluntary reporting is not required to demonstrate delivery of the sub-target to reduce emissions from domestic business flights by 30 per cent.

The sub-target to reduce emissions from domestic flights includes ministerial flights but these are not disaggregated in reporting under the GGCs.

The FCDO Annual Report and Accounts for 2022-23 and 2021-22 linked below provides the details on the number of domestic flights taken in the year in addition to comparing emissions against prior years in relation to the GGCs.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1095304/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170838/Foreign-Commonwealth-and-Development-Office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023.pdf