Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effect of climate change on the work of his Department; and what steps he is taking in response to that effect.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Government Legal Department (GLD), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) are committed to tackling climate change and delivering our world-leading net zero target. Each department is located on separate premises and therefore their steps to climate responsibility differ.
The AGO is located within a building shared with other tenants. The department engages with the landlord to support any opportunities to reduce greenhouse emissions. Emissions data is produced for the building and is not identifiable for each tenant. Information relating to the government vehicle is collated and reported by the Department for Transport. The AGO ensures that all travel is kept to a minimum.
The CPS actively seeks to understand and mitigate its sustainability impacts associated with delivering its core organisational responsibilities. The CPS’ sustainability objectives include delivering on the Greening Government Commitments1 (GGC) for reducing energy, water, paper and other resource use, reducing travel and managing waste and assessing and managing social and environmental impacts and opportunities in policy development and decision making.
The GLD has not made any specific assessment of the effect of climate change on the work of the Department. They provide legal advice in support of our clients’ considerations of climate change and the impact on their business, whilst we have made changes to our operations over time to reduce the consumption of natural resources, including the consumption, movement and storage of paper files, and travel.
No formal assessment has been made on how climate change may impact the work of the SFO. However, the Serious Fraud Office is committed to playing its part in meeting the government’s ambitious targets to reduce emissions and deliver on the Greening Government Commitments.