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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce the extraction of fossil fuels; what assessment he has made of the role that a global registry of fossil fuels could play in enabling (a) policy-makers, (b) investors and (c) others to make informed decisions to align UK fossil fuel production levels with those required to keep global temperature increases below 1.5°C; and if he will make a statement.

Transparency has an essential role to play in supporting competition and sustainability in global energy markets. The Government welcomed what the Global Registry may be able to add to existing sources of information and will consider how to contribute to this initiative.

The UK is committed to its Net Zero target by 2050, to phase out unabated coal generation by 2024 and has introduced a Climate Compatibility Checkpoint for new oil and gas licensing rounds. Investment in North Sea production allows for continued reduction in production related emissions, contributes to an orderly management of declining output and replaces higher emission imports such as LNG.