This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared ahead of a debate due to take place on 4 November 2019 on the motion moved by Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative) that “this House takes note of Her Majesty’s Government’s international development work to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and prevent biodiversity loss”.
International Development: Sustainable Initiatives (221 KB , PDF)
The UK primarily achieves its promotion of sustainable environmental initiatives through International Climate Finance (ICF). ICF is jointly funded by the Department for International Development, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Schemes supported by UK International Climate Finance include:
At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would double the UK’s international climate finance spend. A press release published by the Department for International Development on 23 September 2019 stated that “the UK will up its ICF support to at least £11.6bn over the next five years, between 2021/2 to 2025/6 […] this significant uplift in UK aid support will held developing countries pursue low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable development”.
In a report published in April 2019, the House of Commons International Development Committee reviewed the Government’s use of aid to combat climate change around the world. The report stated that “the UK has historically shown leadership in advancing both the climate change and sustainable development agendas” but that “there does not appear to be an active strategy underpinning the Government’s International Climate Finance spending”. The report goes on to say that “currently, the support provided to the fossil fuel economy in developing countries by UK Export Finance is damaging the coherence of the Government’s approach to combating climate change”. The committee announced a follow up to its inquiry on 5 September 2019.
The UK is due to hold the UN’s climate change conference, the Conference of the Parties (COP26), in Glasgow in November 2020.
International Development: Sustainable Initiatives (221 KB , PDF)
The Government’s ‘green book’ is guidance on how to appraise public sector policies, programmes and projects. In January 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced a review of the green book. The review’s conclusions were published in June 2025 and are designed to improve the effectiveness of public sector appraisal. The Treasury will release an updated green book in early 2026.
In September 2024 the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee launched an inquiry into the scaleup challenges facing startup enterprises working with artificial intelligence (AI) and creative technology. In a report published in February 2025, the committee warned the UK risked becoming an incubator economy where UK startups developed innovative products and services before selling out or moving abroad. This briefing summarises the report’s recommendations and the government’s response.
The government has committed to reducing and reclaiming public money lost to fraud and error. The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill contains provisions to extend Cabinet Office and Public Sector Fraud Authority powers to tackle fraud and error outside the tax and benefits system, and also expands powers to tackle fraud within the benefits system. The bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 15 May 2025.
