8th Report - The Seventh Carbon Budget

Select Committee

Environmental Audit Committee HC 1327 4 March 2026

Report Status Government responded

Conclusions & Recommendations 40 items (27 recs)

Source View on Parliament website

Government Response (AI assessment · 40 of 40 classified)

Accepted 20

Accepted in Part 6

Acknowledged 12

Deferred 2

Government response

1st Special Report - The Seventh Carbon Budget: Government Response · published 11 Jun 2026

Read the government response ↗ Response on the tracker

Recommendations & Conclusions

12 results

2 Conclusion Acknowledged

As the ‘low hanging fruit’ of decarbonisation has largely been achieved, delivery risk increases materially...

Conclusion

As the ‘low hanging fruit’ of decarbonisation has largely been achieved, delivery risk increases materially under the Seventh Carbon Budget, at the same time as delivery options are reduced (as represented by the CCC’s decision to produce a single balanced … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government acknowledges the Committee's concerns about delivery risk and states that these elements will be carefully considered during the development of the delivery plan for the seventh carbon budget, in line with existing statutory duties and risk review processes.

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4 Recommendation Acknowledged

The Government should consider additional measures that offer an opportunity to provide resilience and headroom...

Recommendation

The Government should consider additional measures that offer an opportunity to provide resilience and headroom against delivery risk, without damaging public consent for the measures. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33)

Government Response Summary

The government states that the elements of the recommendation, including contingency planning and policy instruments, will be "considered carefully" as it develops the delivery plan for the seventh carbon budget. It also notes that many of these are already under consideration and delivery risks are regularly reviewed.

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7 Recommendation Acknowledged

The Government must make sure its cross-departmental arrangements offer the clarity, authority and consistency required...

Recommendation

The Government must make sure its cross-departmental arrangements offer the clarity, authority and consistency required to deliver the Seventh Carbon Budget. As emissions reductions must accelerate sharply in the 2030s, delivery will depend on sustained, coordinated action across multiple departments … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government acknowledges the importance of strong cross-government coordination and states that existing frameworks and central leadership are in place, also committing to carefully consider the Committee’s recommendations for strengthening cross-government delivery when developing the CB7 plan.

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9 Conclusion Acknowledged

Public perceptions are shaped not by ministerial statements alone, but by the cumulative impact of...

Conclusion

Public perceptions are shaped not by ministerial statements alone, but by the cumulative impact of decisions taken across Government. Where policy choices in areas such as transport, buildings and infrastructure cut across climate objectives and are not aligned, they signal … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government recognises the importance of strong cross-government coordination, stating that decarbonisation impacts are already considered in decisions and a robust framework is in place. It will publish a delivery plan for CB7 and will carefully consider the Committee’s recommendations for strengthening cross-government delivery.

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11 Recommendation Acknowledged

DESNZ should set out a clear cross-sector prioritisation framework within the Seventh Carbon Budget Delivery...

Recommendation

DESNZ should set out a clear cross-sector prioritisation framework within the Seventh Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, explaining how limited low- carbon resources, including clean electricity, network capacity, sustainable feedstocks and land, will be allocated between competing demands. This framework should … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government acknowledges the importance of cross-government coordination and will publish a delivery plan for the seventh carbon budget, stating they will carefully consider the Committee's recommendations for strengthening delivery during its development.

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12 Recommendation Acknowledged

DESNZ Ministers should provide visible cross-government leadership by setting out, in a single, authoritative statement...

Recommendation

DESNZ Ministers should provide visible cross-government leadership by setting out, in a single, authoritative statement within our recommended indicative delivery framework, how departmental policies collectively support delivery of the Seventh Carbon Budget. This should include clear objectives, indicative timelines and … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government recognises the importance of cross-government coordination, states that the Prime Minister and Chancellor support DESNZ's role, and will publish a statutory delivery plan for the Seventh Carbon Budget. It will carefully consider the Committee’s specific recommendations for strengthening cross-government delivery when developing this plan.

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13 Conclusion Acknowledged

Delivery of the Seventh Carbon Budget will depend on major cross-sector changes in infrastructure, technology,...

Conclusion

Delivery of the Seventh Carbon Budget will depend on major cross-sector changes in infrastructure, technology, and behaviour, many of which must be secured well before the 2038–2042 period begins. These changes will not occur automatically in response to ambition alone. … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government notes the importance of the concerns raised, stating that a delivery plan for the seventh carbon budget will be developed through a cross-government process after the budget is set, and confirms that the Committee's suggestions will be carefully considered during this development.

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14 Conclusion Acknowledged

Delivery risk is particularly acute in sectors that rely on technologies not yet available at...

Conclusion

Delivery risk is particularly acute in sectors that rely on technologies not yet available at scale and subject to significant cost, supply, and investment uncertainty. While policy frameworks exist in principle, they do not yet provide a sufficiently credible or … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government acknowledges the committee’s suggestions regarding delivery risks and the need for clearer plans, stating that elements such as policy instruments and infrastructure readiness will be considered carefully during the development of the Carbon Budget 7 delivery plan.

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28 Recommendation Acknowledged

Behaviour change should not be treated as an adjunct to technology deployment or as a...

Recommendation

Behaviour change should not be treated as an adjunct to technology deployment or as a matter of individual responsibility alone. Delivery planning should make full and explicit use of policy levers to shape prices, incentives, defaults, infrastructure and markets, so … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government states that co-benefits guide its decarbonisation approach and it is pursuing policies for tangible improvements. It commits to ongoing inclusive and participatory engagement, launching an annual 'Energising Britain' event and creating a Youth Climate and Nature Panel, but does not detail specific new policy levers or a structured place-based approach for behaviour change.

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35 Recommendation Acknowledged

The Government should set out its public participation approach for the Seventh Carbon Budget as...

Recommendation

The Government should set out its public participation approach for the Seventh Carbon Budget as a clear, resourced programme within the Seventh Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. This should focus on engagement, rather than just communications, and should: 64 • embed … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government highlights its focus on co-benefits and states a commitment to ongoing inclusive and participatory approaches, announcing a new annual 'Energising Britain' event in 2026 and a Youth Climate and Nature Panel. However, it does not explicitly detail a clear, resourced public participation programme specifically within the Seventh Carbon Budget Delivery Plan that addresses all aspects of two-way engagement and transparent feedback loops as recommended.

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38 Conclusion Acknowledged

We welcome the Government’s decision to invite us to undertake early scrutiny of the Seventh...

Conclusion

We welcome the Government’s decision to invite us to undertake early scrutiny of the Seventh Carbon Budget. This represents a material improvement on previous practice and reflects growing recognition of Parliament’s role in scrutinising not just carbon targets, but the … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government expresses gratitude for the Environmental Audit Committee's engagement in scrutinising the carbon budget recommendations and welcomes their support for the recommended level for CB7.

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40 Recommendation Acknowledged

The Government should support a formal, enhanced Parliamentary scrutiny framework for the Seventh Carbon Budget...

Recommendation

The Government should support a formal, enhanced Parliamentary scrutiny framework for the Seventh Carbon Budget that enables meaningful scrutiny both before approval and throughout delivery, by an annual report on each Department’s progress towards time framed targets. Following the setting … Read more The Government should support a formal, enhanced Parliamentary scrutiny framework for the Seventh Carbon Budget that enables meaningful scrutiny both before approval and throughout delivery, by an annual report on each Department’s progress towards time framed targets. Following the setting of the Sixth Carbon Budget, our predecessor Committee made a comprehensive set of recommendations on how Parliamentary scrutiny of future carbon budgets should be strengthened. We consider that those recommendations remain the most appropriate framework for scrutiny of the Seventh Carbon Budget, and we recommend that the Government implement them in full. In particular, the Government should adopt the approach set out below: • When Ministers announce the proposed level of the Seventh Carbon Budget, they should simultaneously lay before Parliament a draft carbon budget delivery framework, setting out the policies and proposals intended to deliver the budget, as described in Chapters 2 and 3, for scrutiny and debate. Ministers should give notice of a motion under Standing Order No. 118(3)(a) that the draft Order is not to be referred to a Delegated Legislation Committee in the House of Commons, but instead debated on the Floor of the House. • A defined period of three months of Parliamentary scrutiny should elapse between publication of the draft delivery framework and the laying of the draft Carbon Budget Order. While recognising statutory constraints, this period should be sufficient to allow committees to take evidence, publish reports, and engage constructively with Ministers on delivery feasibility and risk. • This scrutiny period will enable relevant House of Commons and House of Lords committees to examine elements of the draft delivery framework within their remits. The Secretary of State for DESNZ, who has principal responsibility for delivery, should agree to appear before the Environmental Audit Committee at an early stage. • The Government should arrange for a debate of Show less

Government Response Summary

The government acknowledges the committee’s suggestions for an enhanced scrutiny framework, stating that the outlined elements will be considered carefully as they develop the delivery plan for the seventh carbon budget, while aligning with existing statutory duties.

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