Tag: Barry Gardiner

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there was any consultation with businesses in flood-risk areas before the decision was taken to cut funding to the Climate Ready programme delivered by the Environment Agency.

Rory Stewart

Defra has not consulted on the Climate Ready Support Service delivered by the Environment Agency. The Service was originally envisaged as a three year programme that was extended to a fourth year in March 2015. This enabled completion of the majority of National Adaptation Programme actions to which the Service was contributing. Indeed the first National Adaptation Programme sets out more than 370 actions to help the UK better prepare for climate change – we continue to deliver on these actions and make sure adaptation is integrated across government policy making.

The Environment Agency continues to play an important role in helping businesses adapt to climate change, in particular as part of its core role on flooding, coastal risks, water management, freshwater habitats, and as a statutory adviser in the land-use planning system. In addition, the EA will continue to provide advice to businesses and other organisations on using the UK climate projections and it will continue to contribute to a range of stakeholder groups. Over 70 online tools developed by the Climate Ready Support Service are available for use by businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will maintain the 2014 commitment to ring-fence spending through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) for 100MW of marine energy in the UK and make the full 100MW available to developers during the 2016 CfD auction process.

Andrea Leadsom

In July 2014 the Government announced a 100MW minimum for wave and tidal stream technologies, including capacity from both the Renewables Obligation and Contracts for Difference, to the end of the first Delivery Plan period in 2019.

During the Budget on 16 March 2016, the Government announced the budget for CfD auctions this Parliament and that the Contract for Difference allocation round, planned to open later in 2016 will be available for projects with a Target Commissioning Window starting in the 2021/22 delivery year. We will be publishing further details in relation to the next allocation round, including on strike prices and whether there will be any minimum allocation later for wave and tidal stream technologies in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure the independence and neutrality of the Charity Commission Board when reappointing commissioners whose terms are due to end.

Mr Rob Wilson

By law, the Charity Commission for England and Wales is not subject to Ministerial direction or control, ensuring its operational independence. Several factors are considered in making appointments and reappointments to the Charity Commission board. These include taking account of the mix of skills and experience of the board as a whole, along with any conflicts of interest and any declarable political activity. For reappointments the performance of the relevant board member is also considered. Appointments and reappointments to the Charity Commission’s board are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to lay an explanatory memorandum before Parliament on the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and to climate action is firm. An explanatory memorandum initiating the UK’s domestic approval of the Agreement was laid on 7^th October 2016 with a view to completing domestic procedures before the end of the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with President Xi at the September 2016 G20 meeting on separating the building of the Hualong One reactor at Bradwell from the agreement on Hinkley Point C.

Jesse Norman

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy did not attend the September 2016 G20 meeting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2.150 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, how many of the additional homes to be protected from flooding are classified as at (a) very high, (b) high, (c) moderate, (d) low and (e) very low risk of flooding; and what estimate she has made of the number of such homes that will be in each such category after the completion of work to protect them from flooding.

Rory Stewart

The £2.3 billion 6-year capital investment programme will better protect over 300,000 homes and will move around 170,000 households from either ‘very significant’ or ‘significant’ flood probability category to the ‘moderate’ or ‘low’ probability category.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has produced a cross-departmental strategy for the UK to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK Government as a whole is committed to implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Government’s manifesto sets out the plan of action for which it will be held accountable by the British people. This includes commitments relevant to each of the Goals, and it will guide our efforts to achieve them. The Global Goals are the starting point for, and will be embedded across, DFID’s work.

DFID is the lead Department on the Goals, and will be working with the Cabinet Office across Government to ensure a joined-up approach to implementation. Other Government Departments will lead on their respective policy areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has prepared contingency plans relating to interconnection with the continental electricity grid in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Amber Rudd

At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

We currently expect our electricity interconnector capacity with Europe to double by the early 2020s with studies showing they could deliver benefits to British consumers of almost £12 billion over 25 years. As the White Paper that the Government published in February on the process for withdrawing from the European Union makes clear, a vote to leave the EU would lead to a prolonged period of uncertainty, including on the nature of our access to the EU’s single energy market.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how the reforms to the Capacity Market announced on 6 May 2016 will provide investment incentives for new gas plants to be built in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

The purpose of the Capacity Market is to ensure security of electricity supply by providing all forms of capacity the right incentives to be on the system to be prepared to deliver energy when needed. On 6 May we announced that we would buy more capacity and buy it earlier, enhancing the opportunities for new plant such as gas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations in the first report of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, published in April 2016.

Anna Soubry

The Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) requires implementing countries to form a Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) consisting of industry, civil society and government, who work in partnership to implement EITI. The MSG meets every 2 months with the next meeting on 12 July.

The UK MSG is currently reviewing the first year’s report and these recommendations form part of that review.