Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish guidance on the installation of solar technology on the (a) central Government and (b) wider public sector estate.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Cabinet Office plans to issue high-level guidance to central government, specifically covering the central government estate and published for an internal-to-government audience, in the coming months. Further guidance, for the wider public sector, may follow.
The Office of Government Property has published the Net Zero Estate Playbook on gov.uk, providing guidance to support government property organisations to decarbonise their estates. This includes recommendations of how to reduce operational energy use, such as through improving renewable energy generation where appropriate through multiple channels, including solar technology.
Government is committed to driving forward the renewable energy agenda, both on its own estate and beyond, and the UK has halved its emissions ahead of every other major economy.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to help support every signatory to the Paris Climate Change Agreement in proposing updated intended nationally determined contributions in time for COP 26.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers the Prime Minister gave on 5 February (Official Report Volume 671 col 306-314).
The UK will be encouraging all countries to submit increased Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP26. As part of this the UK will come forward with an enhanced NDC.
HM Government provides support in a number of ways to the development of new NDCs, including through our International Climate Finance Programme (IFCP), for which the Prime Minister has announced a doubling of support to £11.6 billion for the period 2021/22-2025/26. The IFCP also supports UK aid projects, including the protection and restoration of forests.
Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets are yet to be confirmed.
Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to introduce a global goal for tree planting and protection at COP 26 in late 2020.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers the Prime Minister gave on 5 February (Official Report Volume 671 col 306-314).
The UK will be encouraging all countries to submit increased Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP26. As part of this the UK will come forward with an enhanced NDC.
HM Government provides support in a number of ways to the development of new NDCs, including through our International Climate Finance Programme (IFCP), for which the Prime Minister has announced a doubling of support to £11.6 billion for the period 2021/22-2025/26. The IFCP also supports UK aid projects, including the protection and restoration of forests.
Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets are yet to be confirmed.
Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing the location of COP 26 in late 2020.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers the Prime Minister gave on 5 February (Official Report Volume 671 col 306-314).
The UK will be encouraging all countries to submit increased Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP26. As part of this the UK will come forward with an enhanced NDC.
HM Government provides support in a number of ways to the development of new NDCs, including through our International Climate Finance Programme (IFCP), for which the Prime Minister has announced a doubling of support to £11.6 billion for the period 2021/22-2025/26. The IFCP also supports UK aid projects, including the protection and restoration of forests.
Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets are yet to be confirmed.
Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the budget is for hosting COP 26.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers the Prime Minister gave on 5 February (Official Report Volume 671 col 306-314).
The UK will be encouraging all countries to submit increased Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP26. As part of this the UK will come forward with an enhanced NDC.
HM Government provides support in a number of ways to the development of new NDCs, including through our International Climate Finance Programme (IFCP), for which the Prime Minister has announced a doubling of support to £11.6 billion for the period 2021/22-2025/26. The IFCP also supports UK aid projects, including the protection and restoration of forests.
Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets are yet to be confirmed.
Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will produce a report on progress made towards COP26.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
COP26 is a priority for this Government. We have established a dedicated unit, in the Cabinet Office, to deliver the event and draw together all related UK policy.
The Unit is focused on operational delivery and developing policy goals.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government is requesting that international governments submit their Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of COP26 in November.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
At the UN Climate Action Summit in September the Prime Minister called on all countries to increase their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). As part of our incoming COP Presidency, we are encouraging all countries to submit increased NDCs ahead of COP26 which represent their highest possible ambition. The UK will play its part and come forward with an enhanced NDC well ahead of COP26.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has employed Boston Consulting Group in relation to Government preparations for the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Boston Consulting Group is providing pro-bono strategic project support to the COP26 Unit.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to report on the performance of each Department against the five per cent target for the purchase of remanufactured office furniture in the Government Buying Standard.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The five per cent target for the purchase of remanufactured office furniture in the Government Buying Standard has been replaced with stringent new requirements, which should deliver environmental benefits and savings expected to exceed £45m over ten years:
Under the new requirements, reuse and refurbishment should be deployed before any new furniture purchases. Any new purchase should be made from a core list of standard items with non-standard purchases a last resort.