Question

To ask the President of COP26, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure transparent accountability of (a) businesses and (b) public sector bodies on their delivery of COP26 objectives.

We have been encouraging all businesses to set science-based emission reduction targets by joining the Race to Zero. This has been one of the requirements for businesses to participate in UK-managed spaces of COP26. Race to Zero members commit to report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually.

The government has also recently announced three distinct new policies that can help public procurers fully embed net zero into their work. One of these requires suppliers who are bidding on central government contracts (over £5 million p/a in value) to commit to achieving net zero by 2050 and to publish a Carbon Reduction Plan. We are sending a clear signal to the market: data on carbon impact - and immediate ambition to reduce it - will be increasingly important in how we choose to do business.