National reports and programmes
Section 56: Report on impact of climate change
247.This section places a duty on the Secretary of State to lay reports before Parliament assessing the risks of the current and predicted impact of climate change for the UK, which might include the risks to the natural environment, to infrastructure, to the economy, to society or any other risks.
248.Subsections (2) and (3) require the Secretary of State to lay the first report before Parliament no later than three years after the section comes into force, and subsequent reports at intervals of no more than five years. Subsection (4) allows the Secretary of State to extend the period for laying a report, but requires him to publish a statement setting out his reasons and saying when the report will be laid.
249.Subsection (5) requires the Secretary of State to take the Committee on Climate Change’s advice under section 57 into account before laying the report before Parliament and subsection (6) places a duty on the Secretary of State to send a copy of the report to the other national authorities (defined in section 95 as the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and the relevant Northern Ireland department).
Section 57: Advice of Committee on Climate Change on impact report
250.Subsection (1) of this section requires the Committee on Climate Change to provide the Secretary of State with advice in relation to his reports assessing the risks of climate change to the United Kingdom under section 56. Section 56(5) requires the Secretary of State to take the Committee’s advice into account before laying his reports before Parliament.
251.Subsection (2) requires the Committee to give its advice at least six months before the Secretary of State is required to lay his reports before Parliament – under section 56, the first report must be laid before Parliament within 3 years after the Act receives Royal Assent, with subsequent reports at least every five years.
252.Subsection (3) requires the Committee to send copies of its advice to the other national authorities (see section 95) at the same time as it gives its advice to the Secretary of State and subsection (4) requires it to publish its advice in an appropriate manner as soon as is reasonably practical after that.
Section 58: Programme for adaptation to climate change
253.This section requires the Secretary of State to prepare UK Government adaptation programmes.
254.Subsection (1) places a duty on the Secretary of State to lay before Parliament adaptation programmes covering the Government’s objectives in relation to adaptation to climate change, and its proposals and policies for meeting these objectives (indicating an appropriate timescale). The programme should address the risks identified in the most recent report under section 56.
255.Subsection (2) provides that the objectives, proposals and policies should contribute to sustainable development.
256.Subsection (3) requires the Secretary of State to lay the adaptation programme before Parliament as soon as is reasonably practicable after laying his report on the risks of climate change under section 56. Subsection (4) requires him to send a copy of each programme to the other national authorities.
Section 59: Reporting on progress in connection with adaptation
257.This section places a duty on the Committee on Climate Change to report to Parliament on its assessment of the progress made towards the implementation of the objectives, proposals and policies in the Secretary of State’s adaptation programmes under section 58.
258.Subsection (1) sets out the basic duty, and provides that progress reports on adaptation should be contained in the reports on progress towards meeting carbon budgets and the 2050 target required by section 36.
259.Subsection (2) sets out the timing of the progress reports under this section. The first progress report is to be made in the second year after the Secretary of State lays his first adaptation programme under section 58. This means that if the first adaptation programme is laid before Parliament in 2012, the Committee’s first report on the progress made towards implementing must be laid before Parliament by 30th June 2014 (as required, for 2014, by section 36(4)). In accordance with section 37(4), the Secretary of State would be obliged to respond to that report by 15th October 2014.
260.Subsection (3) provides that subsequent progress reports are to be laid before Parliament every two years, unless the Secretary of State makes an order under subsection (4) to require annual progress reporting. Subsection (5) states that the negative resolution procedure (see section 91) applies to orders made under subsection (4).
Section 60: Programme for adaptation to climate change: Northern Ireland
261.This section requires the relevant Northern Ireland department to prepare adaptation programmes.
262.Subsection (1) places a duty on the relevant Northern Ireland department to lay before the Northern Ireland Assembly adaptation programmes covering its objectives in relation to adaptation to climate change, and its proposals and policies for meeting these objectives (indicating an appropriate a timescale). The programme should address the risks identified in the most recent report under section 56.
263.Subsection (2) provides that the objectives, proposals and policies should contribute to sustainable development.Subsection (3) provides that subsequent programmes must include an assessment of the progress made towards implementing the objectives, proposals and policies in the earlier programmes.
264.Subsection (4) requires the relevant Northern Ireland department to lay the adaptation programme before the Northern Ireland Assembly as soon as is reasonably practicable after the report under section 56 has been laid before Parliament and subsection (5) requires the department to send a copy of it to the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Ministers.
