Scotland committee backs emissions target Bill but stresses importance of scrutiny

A Holyrood committee has given its backing to the Scottish Government’s new emissions target Bill, but has stressed the importance of targets being adequately scrutinised by Parliament.

The Government announced earlier this year its interim target of reducing emissions by 75% by 2030 was no longer achievable, forcing it to amend legislation passed in 2019.

Instead, legislation was introduced that would see the Government move to a five-yearly cycle of carbon budgeting rather than aiming to reduce emissions by a certain proportion by a set time, while retaining the ultimate target of reaching net zero by 2045.

The Bill will also require ministers to publish a climate change plan “as soon as practicable” after the carbon budgets are set through secondary legislation.

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament in September, with the Government hoping to have it in place by November to avert legal issues caused by the previous legislation.

On Friday, Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee published its report on the Bill, which supports its general principles.

But the MSPs said the pace they were required to work at was “unsatisfactory and should have been avoided”.

Their report said: “The committee agrees to the general principles of the Bill at stage one.

“It is deeply regrettable that the catalyst for the Bill’s introduction was recognition that a key statutory milestone on the journey to net zero was no longer achievable.

“However, we accept that the opportunity should also be taken to move to a multi-year carbon-budgeting process, which most stakeholders have agreed is a more effective way of measuring progress.

“It was also regrettable that the Bill could not have been introduced earlier, allowing more time for scrutiny.”

It said the committee had “regretfully” accepted the Government had “no alternative” but to scrap the previous targets.

The report recommends that ministers develop new timelines for reaching a 75% and 90% reduction in emissions, to ensure “these milestones remain transparent and available for scrutiny”.

A draft climate change plan, the committee added, should be published at the same time as the carbon budget regulations.

Committee convener Edward Mountain said: “This Bill was announced in April but it took until September 5 for it to be introduced, meaning that as a committee, we found ourselves considering at pace legislation that, whilst succinct, is also technical and complex.

“This was wholly unsatisfactory and should have been avoided.

“Consequently, we are now posing fundamental questions to the Scottish Government which must be answered before this Bill progresses to the next stage.”

MSPs voted this week to allow the Bill to be voted on at stage one next Thursday, with a final vote due on November 5.

Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “I welcome the Net Zero Committee’s backing for the general principles of the Bill, which seeks to create a carbon budget approach to setting emissions targets – providing a more reliable framework for sustained progress in emissions reduction.

“I will carefully consider the committee’s report and recommendations.”