Oral Answers to Questions

Antoinette Sandbach Excerpts

Tuesday 1st May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I do not want to quibble with the Minister, but I do not think that the hon. Member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) ever indulges in anything quite so vulgar as sedentary chuntering. He is occasionally given to facial expressions, which are not prohibited by the Standing Orders of the House, and he has a penchant for what might be described as the feline purr.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

Will the Minister join me in congratulating the Bibby Line Group on the £80 million that it has invested in two ships to service our offshore wind turbines.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Minister for Energy and Clean Growth (Claire Perry)]

I will be happy to discuss the matter further with the hon. Lady. She has raised a hugely important point about how we include in a mortgage mix or a financing mix the value of companies and households installing measures to reduce their energy bills. The green finance taskforce, which has just reported to us, had some suggestions, and I would be delighted to discuss them further with the hon. Lady.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

T3. Drax power station received £2 million a day last year to burn 13 million tonnes of imported wood, emitting more carbon dioxide per unit of energy generated than the coal burning that it replaces. Will the Minister commit to looking at this and ensuring that the renewables obligation goes towards no-burn renewables and energy efficiency?

[Claire Perry]

My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that the current support for existing coal to biomass conversion will end by 2027. I am aware of many of the concerns about biomass, and we are looking at the issue carefully. However, sustainable, low-carbon bioenergy can help us on this transition, particularly away from coal burning.