Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the proposals for a Global Registry of Fossil Fuels; published by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign and being developed by Carbon Tracker and Global Energy Monitor; and if he will make a statement.

We are aware of this proposal and have engaged with the relevant Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on the concept.

For the UK, as of June 2020, the Coal Authority estimates that overall, there are 3,906 million tonnes of coal resources, including prospects.

The Oil and Gas Authority estimate remaining UK Continental Shelf recoverable petroleum resources are in the range of 10 to 20 billion barrels or more of oil equivalent. This includes discovered and undiscovered petroleum resources and takes into account the wide range of possibilities for prospective resources which are not yet discovered. Proposals for a Global Registry will need to address this, given the high degree of uncertainty about recoverable resources.