Blog

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effects of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 on the (a) Animal and Plant Health Agency, (b) Drinking Water Inspectorate, (c) Fish Health Inspectorate, Cefas, (d) Rural Payments Agency and (e) Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

    George Eustice

    The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 creates a legal obligation on the Government of the day to publish a business impact target, covering the economic impact of new regulation on business and civil society organisations.

    The Business Impact Target currently applies to legislation and regulatory activity undertaken by UK Ministers, including the activities of non-statutory regulators who exercise regulatory functions for or on behalf of UK Ministers. The Act also sets out reporting requirements to Parliament in relation to any qualifying regulatory provisions introduced by these bodies.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implications of the proposed extension of the Business Impact Target as set out in the Enterprise Bill for the work of (a) the Environment Agency, (b) the Forestry Commission, (c) the Marine Management Organisation, (d) Natural England, (e) the Water Services Regulation Authority and (f) the Farriers Registration Council; and what such discussions she has had on (i) the Food Standards Agency, (ii) the Gangmasters’ Licensing Authority and (iii) the Groceries Code Adjudicator insofar as those bodies relate to her Department’s responsibilities.

    George Eustice

    My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, will shortly issue a public consultation seeking views on the statutory regulators proposed to be brought within scope of the Business Impact Target, with a view to introducing the necessary secondary legislation.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) length and (b) number of public byways open to all traffic in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    The Department does not hold centrally any information on the length and number of byways open to all traffic in the United Kingdom. In 2005 it was estimated that there was over 4,000 km of byways open to all traffic in England.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been budgeted for compensation payments to residential and business properties affected by the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

    Rory Stewart

    Compensation payments for owners of residential or business properties which are acquired pursuant to the development consent order for the Thames Tideway Tunnel (TTT) are a matter for either Thames Water Utilities Limited or Bazalgette Tunnel Limited (trading as Tideway and being the licensed infrastructure provider that will finance, own, build and operate the tunnel). Provision for such compensation payments is included in the overall budget for the construction of the TTT. In the case of Thames Water Utilities Limited, these costs are included within their price control for the period 2015-2020 as determined by Ofwat. In the case of Bazalgette Tunnel Limited, the cost is within the overall budget included within the project licence granted to Tideway by Ofwat. The amount set aside for these compensation payments are commercially sensitive so cannot be disclosed.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress has been made on the White Rose Carbon Capture and Storage Project; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government confirmed as part of the 2015 Spending Review that the £1 billion ring-fenced capital budget for the CCS Competition was no longer available.

    Following confirmation from both bidders that they will not proceed with their respective projects in the absence of Government capital funding support, Government has taken the decision to close the CCS Competition.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to implement the Paris climate change agreement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Paris Agreement marks a significant step forward towards reducing, on a global scale, the emissions that cause climate change. The agreed long-term goal of net zero emissions in the second half of the century shows that the world is committed to decarbonisation and the agreement drives us forward on our path to limiting the average global temperature rise to well below 2°C, and to pursue efforts to 1.5 °C. We must now work hard to continue the global momentum created by the Paris deal by supporting countries to implement their emission reduction commitments; ensuring we meet our own commitments; and continuing to build the conditions for the transition to a low carbon economy to enable further ambition in the future.

    The UK’s contribution to the Paris Agreement will be determined by our commitments to meeting EU climate and energy targets, and by the UK’s own domestic framework, comprising a 2050 emissions reduction target of at least 80% on 1990 base year levels and a series of five-year carbon budgets, as established by the Climate Change Act 2008.We will also set the level of the Fifth Carbon Budget, covering the period 2028-2032, in law by the end of June this year. This will be followed by our new emission reduction plan, which is due to be published towards the end of the year.

    Governments alone cannot deliver the scale of action required, businesses, investors and civil society all have a role to play. Many are already acting and Paris saw an unprecedented level of engagement and commitment to reduce emissions and drive forward low carbon growth and markets. This action will help unlock the transition to a low carbon economy and support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what impact assessment her Department has conducted of the proposed increase in the rate of VAT for solar and other renewables to 20 per cent.

    Andrea Leadsom

    This is a measure led by HMRC and currently only a proposal being consulted on. If following consultation this change is introduced, we will carefully consider its impact.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many solar power companies there were in (a) Lancashire, (b) the North West and (c) Britain in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013, (v) 2014 and (vi) 2015.

    Andrea Leadsom

    DECC does not hold information on the number of solar power companies. However, data on the number of solar photovoltaic installations (including households) by UK region, are available for 2010 to 2014. This is given in the table below. DECC does not hold information by UK county. Data for 2015 for the UK as a whole will be available on 28 January 2016, and by region in September 2016.

    End-2010

    End-2011

    End-2012

    End-2013

    End-2014

    North-West England

    1,404

    17,723

    33,208

    41,960

    54,583

    Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

    25,684

    221,000

    374,778

    465,678

    574,582

    Source: Regional Renewables Statistics, 2003-2014, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics

    Data by Local Authority (for 2014 only) are available on the same link. Monthly solar installations data for the UK as a whole are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment

    “

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Research has shown that the carbon footprint of shale gas extraction and use is likely to be comparable to conventional sources of gas and lower than the carbon footprint of imported Liquefied Natural Gas. [1]

    In order to make sure emissions are minimised, the Environment Agency has made ‘Green Completions’ to capture emissions from operations a requirement for Environmental Permits for shale gas production.

    Additionally, operators must develop a Waste Management Plan setting out how waste gases including fugitive methane emissions will be minimised, managed and monitored, which is submitted to the Environment Agency with permit applications. The Environment Agency will also consider an enclosed flare to provide the best environmental performance for treatment of waste gases from onshore oil and gas operations during exploration.

    We have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas and we insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection.

    [1] Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf

    “

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.

    In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.

    The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.