Commentary on Sections Alteration of budgets or budgetary periods Section 22: Consultation on alteration of carbon budgets
111.This section sets out the procedures that the Secretary of State must follow before altering a carbon budget.
112.Subsection (1) places a duty on the Secretary of State to obtain and consider advice from the Committee on Climate Change. The Secretary of State also has to consider any views of the devolved administrations.
113.Subsections (2) to (8) set out the stages of the process:
	Subsection (2) places a duty on the Committee on Climate Change to send a copy of its advice to each of the devolved administrations;
	Subsection (3) requires the Committee on Climate Change, as soon as is reasonably practicable after giving its advice to the Secretary of State, to publish that advice in any way it thinks is appropriate;
	Subsection (4) and (5) provide that the devolved administrations have one month to send the Secretary of State their views if the budget period has already begun, and three months if the budget period has not started yet. If the devolved administrations send their views within the relevant period, the Secretary of State can lay a draft order before Parliament immediately after he has considered them; otherwise, he can lay the draft order only after the relevant period has expired;
	Subsection (6) places a duty on the Secretary of State to publish a statement that sets out whether and how he has taken account of the devolved administrations’ views;
	Subsection (7) places a duty on the Secretary of State, if altering a carbon budget in a way that differs from the Committee’s recommendations, to publish a statement setting out the reasons for that decision;
	Subsection (8) allows the Secretary of State to publish a statement under subsection (6) or (7) (on taking account of the devolved administrations’ views or on any deviation from the Committee’s advice) in any way he thinks is appropriate.