The Minister thanked Ellie Chowns for securing the debate and acknowledged the importance of addressing embodied carbon in new buildings to meet net zero targets. She highlighted that while operational emissions will decrease, embodied carbon will become increasingly important. The Government recognises the need for better data, consistent measurement, transparency, and a pathway towards reduction but also pointed out challenges such as varied construction methods, end-of-life treatment assumptions, and the necessity for robust methodologies and tools. Despite these challenges, the Minister noted positive examples of industry leadership in tackling embodied carbon. She emphasised that rushed policy could lead to inconsistent assessments, poor-quality data, disputes about methodology, and perverse incentives, potentially undermining safety or increasing defects. The Government is considering several areas: methodology, data quality, industry capacity, sequencing between measurement and reduction, and economic impacts. They are consulting on planning reforms which encourage the reuse of existing structures and materials. The Minister highlighted ongoing work to develop guidance for buyers and producers of construction products on embodied emissions reporting, product classifications, and green procurement approaches to support better building-level decisions. She concluded by affirming that while complexity matters, responsible Government must design an approach that is robust, proportionate, and deliverable.