Lords and Commons committees to quiz Government ministers on outcome of COP15

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee and House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee will be hearing from Environment Secretary Therese Coffey and Foreign Office Minister Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on COP15, the international biodiversity conference.

The Committees will be scrutinising the Government’s approach to COP15, and the outcomes of the meetings held in Montreal in December.

Members are expected to ask questions on a range of areas. Among the topics expected to be raised are the following:

• The agreement reached at COP15 and its implementation;
• Monitoring and enforcement, including targets for species in the UK and in the overseas territories;
• Development of a domestic biodiversity strategy;
• Domestic delivery of COP15 goals through Environment Act structures;
• Finance and resources for implementation of COP15 goals;
• The role of business in implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF);
• The GBF and measures to reverse deforestation.

Witnesses

From 10.00:

• The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP, Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• The Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, Minister of State (Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
• Andrea Ledward CBE, International Biodiversity and Climate Director, Defra

Further information 
  
House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee

• The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee considers matters relating to the environment and climate change.
• More information about the committee and its membership is available on its website.
• You can follow the committee on Twitter @HLEnviroClimate
• For any queries about the session or requests to interview Baroness Parminter, Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, please contact Alec Brand on 020 7219 8550 or email branda@parliament.uk

House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee

• The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee considers the extent to which the policies and programmes of government departments and non-departmental public bodies contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development, and to audit their performance against sustainable development and environmental protection targets.
• More information about the committee and its membership is available on its website.
• You can follow the committee on Twitter @CommonsEAC
• For any queries about the session or requests to interview Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, please contact Chloe Jago on 020 7219 1034 or email jagoc@parliament.uk