Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress her Department is making on setting environmental targets for the period beyond 2020.

Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government must set the fifth carbon budget (2028-2032) in law by 30 June 2016 taking into consideration the advice from the Committee on Climate Change. This advice is due by the end of 2015.

As also set out in the Climate Change Act, we are required to publish our plans and policies for meeting our carbon budgets as soon as practicable after setting a new budget. Our working assumption is that this will be towards the end of 2016 following the setting of the fifth carbon budget.