Tag: Barry Gardiner

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s news story of 27 April 2016, Update on a new clause to be inserted into grant agreements, what guidance his Department has given to departments which have already inserted an anti-lobbying clause into grant agreements made with organisations since the start of the current financial year.

Matthew Hancock

As I made clear in the House on 27 April, we are committed to protecting taxpayers’ money from being wasted on government lobbying government. We are pausing the implementation of this clause into grant agreements, pending a review of the representations made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Clean Growth have discussed the fifth carbon budget since November 2015; and which departments have been involved in those meetings.

Mr Oliver Letwin

I chair an inter-ministerial group on Clean Growth, which considers issues relating to air quality and de-carbonisation, where these have a cross-departmental aspect. The group meets as and when required and its members include ministers and officials from the relevant departments, including Defra, DECC, DfT, DCLG and BIS.

To protect the integrity of the policy-making progress, we do not comment on the specific timing or agendas of cabinet committees or inter-ministerial groups.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from the Government plan to attend the Montreal Protocol meetings in July 2016.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The UK Government delegation comprised two officials from Defra’s Environmental Quality Directorate and one official from the Department’s Team of the Government Legal Service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his oral statement of 15 September, how the measures announced in that statement will increase security at the Hinkley C project.

Jesse Norman

As announced on 15 September, following the comprehensive review of the Hinkley Point C project, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State announced new safeguards for future foreign investment in critical infrastructure.

In respect of Hinkley Point C, the Government is able to prevent the sale of EDF’s controlling stake prior to the completion of construction. This agreement has been confirmed in an exchange of letters between the Government and EDF.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 22766, on the sustainable development goals, what role she plans officials of the Cabinet Office will have in overseeing the implementation strategy of those goals.

Justine Greening

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. Other Government Departments will lead on their respective policy areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on the proposal to the International Maritime Organisation to develop a work plan to define the shipping industry’s fair share in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the meeting on 18 to 22 April 2016.

Andrea Leadsom

All countries agreed in Paris in December to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C, and to pursue efforts towards 1.5°C. Action on international shipping will be an important part of this. The international nature of shipping emissions means that the best place to reach a credible solution is at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Negotiations on how the global shipping sector can contribute to Paris goals are at an early stage. The Department for Transport leads on these negotiations for the UK. The Department of Energy and Climate Change will continue to support the Department for Transport on this issue.

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 she will make it her policy to support French proposals for an EU-wide carbon floor price.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government supports the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as a market-based approach to cap emissions and achieve least-cost decarbonisation. Negotiations to reform and strengthen the EU ETS for the next phase of the system starting in 2021 are still in the early stages. Proposals to set thresholds for the EU carbon price are one of many options open for discussion. The Government believes that the implementation of the Market Stability Reserve, as agreed in 2015, is essential to strengthening the EU ETS carbon price in the long-term and to providing a strong, stable low-carbon investment signal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many UK Government officials and from which departments attended the Bonn intersessional UN climate meeting in (a) May 2016, (b) October 2015 and (c) June 2015.

Andrea Leadsom

There were 25 Government officials in the UK delegation at Bonn in May 2016; 25 Government officials in the UK delegation at Bonn in October 2015 and 44 Government officials in the UK delegation at Bonn in June 2015. The UK delegation included officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Scottish Government at each of these sessions. Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Met Office were present at the meeting in Bonn in June 2015.

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, which (a) minister and (b) Government officials attended the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on 4 and 5 July 2016; and what the outcomes of that meeting were.

Jesse Norman

The UK was represented by Peter Betts, Director, International Climate Change at what was formerly DECC, now BEIS, and another government official.

The full conclusions of the meeting are published by the German government at:

http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Download_PDF/Klimaschutz/petersberg7_conclusions_bf.pdf and included as an annex here to be published in the House Libraries.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether EDF will incur a penalty in the event that Hinkley Point C starts to generate electricity by 2025.

Jesse Norman

Under the contract for difference, if Hinkley Point C does not start generating electricity four years after 2025 then there will be reductions to the contract term. This means that for every day that Hinkley is late, the period of time where EDF is getting increased certainty on the price of electricity generated from Hinkley is reduced. If neither reactor at Hinkley is generating electricity by 2033, there is an option to cancel the contract.