Question

To ask the President of COP26, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the role of energy efficiency in meeting the UK’s climate targets.

COP26 Devolved Administrations Ministers Meetings, which I chair, have formally convened five times. Communiqués from these meetings can be found on GOV.UK. The Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change has been present at these meetings.

Energy policy, including energy efficiency, falls within the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). With support from the devolved administrations, BEIS established an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) that is responsible for discussing Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change. This aims to meet every two months and brings together Ministers from the four administrations to discuss emission reduction efforts across the UK. This intergovernmental engagement on net zero will continue to facilitate collaboration and coordination across devolved and reserved competence, ensuring we are delivering effectively for all parts of the UK.

We are committed to working with the devolved administrations to achieve our shared goals of leading the charge against climate change.