Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009

35 Reports on proposals and policies for meeting annual targets

(1) As soon as reasonably practicable after making an order under section 4(1) setting annual targets, the Scottish Ministers must lay before the Scottish Parliament a report containing the following information.

(2) The Scottish Ministers must, before laying a report under this section before the Scottish Parliament, lay a draft of the report before the Parliament.

(3) The Scottish Ministers may not lay the report before the expiry of the period for Parliamentary consideration.

(4) In subsection (3), the “period for Parliamentary consideration” means the period of 60 days, of which no fewer than 30 must be days on which the Parliament is not dissolved or in recess.

(5) The Scottish Ministers must, before laying the report before the Parliament, have regard to—

(a) any representations on the draft report made to them;

(b) any resolution relating to the draft report passed by the Parliament; and

(c) any report relating to the draft report published by any committee of the Parliament for the time being appointed by virtue of standing orders.

(6) The Scottish Ministers must, when laying the report before the Parliament, lay a statement setting out—

(a) details of any representations, resolutions or reports mentioned in subsection (5);

(b) the changes (if any) they have made to the report in response to such representations, resolutions or reports and the reasons for those changes.

(7) The Scottish Ministers must, as soon as reasonably practicable after laying a report under this section, and in so far as reasonably practicable, make a statement to the Parliament relating to the report.

(8) The report must, in particular, set out—

(a) the Scottish Ministers' proposals and policies for meeting the annual targets;

(b) how those proposals and policies are expected to contribute towards the achievement of the interim target, the 2050 target and, in each target year, the domestic effort target;

(c) the timescales over which those proposals and policies are expected to take effect.

(9) The report must also set out the Scottish Ministers' proposals and policies regarding the respective contributions towards meeting the annual targets that should be made by—

(a) energy efficiency;

(b) energy generation;

(c) land use;

(d) transport.

(10) The report must also explain how the proposals and policies set out in the report are expected to affect different sectors of the Scottish economy.

(11) The second and each subsequent report under this section—

(a) must contain an assessment of the progress towards implementing proposals and policies set out in earlier reports;

(b) may make such adjustments to those proposals and policies as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate.