Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Whitehead Excerpts
Thursday 19th November 2015

(9 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Amber Rudd Portrait Amber Rudd
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I received a message of support from DONG Energy, which is a big investor in offshore wind. The UK is rightly proud of its offshore wind sector. We have more offshore wind than the rest of the world put together. There is a lot of interest in that internationally and it has great export potential. We will continue to support it.

Alan Whitehead Portrait Dr Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab)
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I applaud the Secretary of State’s announcement yesterday in her reset speech that coal will be phased out by 2025 on the grounds of its unacceptably high carbon emissions. In the same speech, she indicated that temporary subsidies to assist the deployment of renewables, which are the lowest-carbon alternative energy source, would come to an end, while permanent subsidies for the deployment of gas, which is a far higher carbon alternative, would be maintained. On reflection, does she find those positions at all contradictory?