Tag: Barry Gardiner

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations she made on raising the EU’s 2030 greenhouse gas target at the Environment Council on 4 March 2016.

Andrea Leadsom

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State represented the UK for the climate change discussion at the Environment Council on 4^th March and spoke in support of the Presidency’s assessment of the Paris Agreement. In his intervention, my noble Friend noted that the Paris Agreement is a historic step forward but that the current level of commitments does not put us on a pathway to meet the well below 2°C global goal. He said it was vital we push for another moment in 2020 to raise collective mitigation ambition and that the EU continue its climate leadership role and maintain the momentum created in Paris. He therefore called for the EU and its Member States to be prepared for the first ambition cycle in 2018-2020.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to open her Department’s consultation on the timetable for closing all coal-fired power stations in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in her speech on 18 November that the Department will be launching a consultation to close all coal fired power stations. A consultation will be launched shortly.

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 ensure a secure electricity supply that is consistent with the decarbonisation objectives set out in her Department’s single departmental plan.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department has set out a number of policies which will decarbonise the economy. For example, we will consult shortly on proposals to close all unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025 to reduce our emissions and continue to invest in new low carbon generation.

The changes to the Capacity Market announced on 6 May will ensure security of electricity supply as we decarbonise: this is non-negotiable. However, all bidders into the Capacity Market are all affected by decarbonisation policies. For example, the EU ETS and the Carbon Price Floor will reduce the competitiveness of coal generation in the Capacity Market relative to cleaner technologies like gas.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to appoint a new Charity Commissioner to replace Peter Clarke.

Mr Rob Wilson

We are currently recruiting three new board members for the Charity Commission in England and Wales, including a replacement for Peter Clarke. We are specifically seeking skills and experience in the charity sector, in law enforcement and in IT. The posts were opened for applications in early June and we intend to appoint as soon as this process is successfully concluded. The recruitment process follows the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies and its core principles of merit, openness and fairness.

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 assessment his Department has made of the security of the intellectual property of the European Pressurised Reactor technology to be used at Hinkley Point C.

Jesse Norman

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.

The protection of intellectual property at Hinkley Point C is a commercial matter for the developer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether all fines issued in June 2015 by the Environment Agency to aircraft operators for failure to surrender allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System were paid by the deadline.

Andrea Leadsom

The Environment Agency did not issue any fines in June 2015 to aircraft operators for failure to surrender allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. However, the Environment Agency did publish in June 2015 the details of five civil penalties that had previously been issued to operators for failure to surrender sufficient allowances to cover reportable emissions in the 2012 scheme year. None of these civil penalties have yet been paid. The Environment Agency is taking action to recover the penalties as a civil debt, in line with UK law.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she was consulted about the decision to remove the discussion on raising EU climate ambition in light of the Paris Agreement from the European Council agenda for 17 to 18 March 2016.

Andrea Leadsom

The agenda for the European Council is set by the President of the European Council.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to tackle the reduction in investment for renewable energy projected between 2017 to 2020 in the most recent National Infrastructure Pipeline, published on 23 March 2016.

Andrea Leadsom

Nearly £52 billion has been invested in renewables since 2010. The average annual investment in renewables has more than doubled in the last 5 years, with an average of £9bn invested each year in UK-based renewables. Indeed, 2015 was another record year with £13bn invested in renewable electricity.

In order to support further investment in renewables, we announced in the 2016 Budget funding for three further Contracts For Difference allocation rounds, worth £730m of annual support. We have also announced that the Renewable Heat Incentive budget will continue to March 2021, when it will reach £1.15 billion.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to work with other departments to formulate the Government’s response to the recommendation of the Energy and Climate Change Committee in its Fifth Report of Session 2015-16, on Setting the fifth carbon budget, HC 659, that effective drivers need to be put in place by Government to encourage innovation and investment for transport, buildings and agriculture.

Andrea Leadsom

We are currently working closely with other Government departments to determine the right approach to reducing emissions in the 2020s.

We will publish the successor to 2011 Carbon Plan, in due course. The new plan will set out our policies and proposals for meeting the UK’s carbon budgets, and will cover all sectors of the economy, including transport, agriculture and buildings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 7 on page 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in March 2012 whether his Department has made an assessment of the extent to which the UK’s carbon budgets and 2050 climate target is taken into account by planning authorities when making planning decisions.

Brandon Lewis

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that sustainable development should be at the heart of planning, and should be pursued in a positive and integrated way. It makes it clear that policies set out in paragraphs 18 to 219, taken as a whole, constitute the Government’s view of what sustainable development in England means in practice for the planning system – both in preparing local plans and taking decisions on individual planning applications. It is for the decision-maker to take these policies into account when considering applications for development.