Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the speech by the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency Escaping the jaws of death: ensuring water in 2050, made on 19 March; what steps they are taking to encourage individuals to reduce their water consumption; and what plans they have to introduce compulsory water metering.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Sir James Bevan’s speech highlighted the need to take action to improve water demand management and increase supply to prevent future water supply deficits. That is why the Government is continuing to work closely with water regulators and the water industry to improve the resilience of water supplies now and in the long term.
The Government expects companies to increase metering where appropriate. Currently, water companies can introduce universal metering if they are in an area designated as an area of serious water stress and have consulted on doing so with their customers.
We are launching a call for evidence on setting an ambitious target for personal water consumption by mid-May. Alongside this, we will hold a consultation to examine the policy options required to support the target. This will include exploratory questions around policy options such as the labelling of water-using products, improving building standards, and the future role of metering.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of the new Woodhouse Colliery, in particular on their target set out in the Paris Agreement to limit climate temperature rises to below two degrees centigrade.
Answered by Lord Henley
The UK is committed to delivering the ambition of the Paris Agreement. The Climate Change Act committed the UK to reducing emissions by at least 80% compared to 1990 levels and we are phasing out the use of unabated coal for electricity generation by 2025. In response to the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C, we have asked the Climate Change Committee to advise on whether further action is needed.
Cumbria County Council took the decision to grant planning permission for the Woodhouse Colliery, subject to the completion of a section 106 planning obligation. It was the Council’s responsibility to consider this application in its role as minerals planning authority, and the Council would have considered all relevant material considerations, including environmental impacts, before reaching their decision.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between the clean growth measures announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement and the recommendations in the report by the Committee on Climate Change UK housing: fit for the future?, published on 21 February, in particular that Committee’s proposal to ban gas boilers and cookers from 2025.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Future Homes Standard builds on the Industrial Strategy Clean Growth buildings mission to at least halve the energy use of new build property by 2030 and halve the cost of renovating existing buildings to a similar standard as new buildings, while increasing quality and safety. The Future Homes Standard will require all new build homes to have low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency, and will be introduced by 2025.
The Committee on Climate Change are a body that provides independent advice to Government on building a low-carbon economy and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Their recommendation about new connections to the gas grid is one of several made in the CCC report. The Government is reviewing the CCC’s recommendations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to announce (1) measurable targets, and (2) deadlines, for their clean growth measures announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement; by how much they intend to increase the proportion of green gas in the National Grid; and when they estimate that target will be reached.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government are committed to accelerating the decarbonisation of our gas supplies by increasing the proportion of green gas in the grid. In order to meet our climate targets, we need to reduce our dependence on burning natural gas to heat our homes.
The Government will consult later this year on the appropriate mechanism to deliver the commitment to increase the proportion of green gas in the grid. This consultation will inform subsequent decisions about the design of the future mechanism, its implementation, timetable and targets.
The Future Homes Standard, announced in the Spring Statement, will be implemented through an uplift to the Building Regulations, subject to consultation in 2019.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support housing developers and homeowners to improve the environmental standards of new homes; and what steps they are taking to improve the environmental impact of existing housing stock.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
As set out in the Government's Clean Growth Strategy, we plan to consult in 2019 on an uplift to the energy efficiency requirements for new homes and other buildings where there are safe, practical, cost-effective and affordable opportunities to do so. We have built into the planning system, through the revised National Planning Policy Framework clear expectations on reducing emissions, adaptation, mitigation and resilience to climate change impacts.
The Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings, and there are a number of policies in place to support this, including the Private Rented Sector Minimum Standard and the Energy Company Obligation scheme.
In August 2018, the Government’s Social Housing Green Paper asked whether Government should consider changes to what constitutes a decent home, including considering whether criteria around energy performance is demanding enough and delivers the right standards in social housing. The consultation closed in November 2019 and we will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the issue of climate finance at the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change conference in Paris; and whether they plan to commit the United Kingdom to budgeting for climate finance arrangements up to 2020.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Prime Minister, with other G7 leaders, recently reaffirmed their commitment to jointly mobilise USD $100 billion of climate finance a year by 2020 from a wide variety of sources, both public and private, and that they stand ready to engage proactively in the negotiations of the finance provisions of the Paris outcome. The UK has a strong track record on climate finance and is meeting its commitments, for example committing £3.87bn through the International Climate Fund (ICF) in this spending review period. Climate finance commitments beyond 2015/16 will be determined through the forthcoming Spending Review process.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Lambeth Declaration on Climate Change, signed by the leaders of the United Kingdom’s Christian and other faith communities and launched on 17 June.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
I very much welcome publication of the Lambeth Declaration 2015 on climate change and would like to thank the Bishop of Salisbury, Nick Holtam, for his work in securing it.
Faith communities have a strong track record of bringing about real and lasting change at every level of society so we welcome this significant intervention on climate change and urge all faiths to work together in the lead up to Paris Climate Summit and beyond.
We all have a responsibility to learn how to live and develop sustainably in a world of finite resources. Caring for our environment and being conscious of our impact on it is central to many faith’s beliefs and something that faith groups communicate better than anyone.
The UK Government is working hard to secure a global climate deal in Paris and will continue to work with stakeholders from all sectors to help deliver an ambitious international agreement on climate change.