Covid-19: Levelling-up Agenda

Debate between Baroness Penn and Lord Bradshaw

Thursday 12th November 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Penn (Con)]

My Lords, since the pandemic, the Government have provided £6.4 billion of additional funding to local authorities, but, in addition to this, for those areas that faced restrictions prior to the second lockdown, extra support was put in place for businesses that were closed or had their business severely affected by those restrictions. Local authorities got additional funding for grants to support the local economy.

[Lord Bradshaw (LD) [V]]

My Lords, rumours emanating from who knows where in government are talking about cutting back HS2 phase 2b—the bit that goes from Birmingham to Leeds. This would mean that the journey times from Toton would go from 27 to 85 minutes for Leeds and from 93 to 106 minutes for Newcastle. How is this sort of thing compatible with government protestations about levelling up?

[Baroness Penn (Con)]

My Lords, I do not pay too much attention to rumours circulating, and the Government remain committed to the High Speed 2 project.

Green Investment Fund

Debate between Baroness Penn and Lord Bradshaw

Wednesday 2nd September 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Penn (Con)]

The Clean Growth Fund has £20 million of government investment, but that is matched pound for pound by CCLA, one of the UK’s largest charity fund managers. As I referred to in response to previous questions, that is not the limit of the Government’s investment in clean growth, which runs to billions of pounds.

[Lord Bradshaw (LD) [V]]

My Lords, are the Government fully committed to the undertakings that they made in the Paris Agreement in 2015? If so, when do they expect emissions to fall in line with that agreement?

[Baroness Penn (Con)]

The Government remain completely committed to the commitments they made in Paris. Emissions are falling and the Government set out in their carbon budgets their plan to meet their targets in each period that those carbon budgets cover.