Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Clark of Kilwinning Excerpts

Thursday 13th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hayes]

I can tell the hon. Gentleman, although I am in a sense disappointed to do so, because he will not have been privy to the information I gave the House until I provided it a few moments ago, that that was not the reason given by the European Commissioner—[Interruption.] The Commissioner did not say that to me in our telephone conversation. Indeed, the hon. Gentleman will know that in that first round no CCS project received support—there was some thought that a French project might, but in the end it did not. The second round will begin next spring and will be completed next year. I have made it very clear that we will work as a Government, with Europe, to ensure that our projects have the very best chance of receiving that additional funding.

[Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)]

4. Whether it is his policy to decarbonise the power sector by 2030.

[Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab)]

5. Whether it is his policy to decarbonise the power sector by 2030.

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[The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Gregory Barker)]

The coalition Government are absolutely committed to achieving substantial cuts in carbon from our electricity sector by 2030; that is entirely consistent with the targets set out in the Climate Change Act 2008. We have also announced that we will take a power to set a legally binding decarbonisation target for the electricity sector specifically as a Government amendment to the Energy Bill.

[Katy Clark]

I am grateful to hear that, and I very much hope that the target we set will be the right one to ensure that we meet our commitments to cut emissions by 2050, because it is very clear that we need a target. Will the Minister say what he believes that will be?

[Gregory Barker]

We will ensure that if we take such a power, it will be to enable us to meet our climate change commitments. The important thing is to see any power in the context of setting the overall carbon budget for the period 2028 to 2032 and beyond.