Commentary on Sections Proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets Section 14: Duty to report on proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets
74.This section places a duty on the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament setting out proposals and policies for meeting the current and future carbon budgets. This section will ensure that Parliament is clear about how the Government intends to meet its obligations under the Act.
75.Subsection (2) requires the report to set out the Secretary of State’s current proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets (which must be prepared under section 13). The report must also explain how the proposals and policies affect different sectors of the economy (subsection (3)).
76.Subsection (4) provides that the report must set out what implications the proposals and policies in the report have as regards the use that will be made of carbon units in meeting the carbon budgets covered by the report. See also section 34(1)(b), which requires the Committee on Climate Change to advise on the use of carbon units, and section 11, which requires the Secretary of State to set a limit on the use of carbon units for each budgetary period.
77.Subsection (5) places the Secretary of State under a duty to consult the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and the relevant Northern Ireland department in relation to any part of the report covering their proposals and policies. Subsection (6) requires the Secretary of State to send a copy of the report to each of the devolved administrations.