Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeff Smith and Harriett Baldwin

Wednesday 20th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

15. If she will make reducing global warming a strategic priority of her Department.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Harriett Baldwin)]

Climate change is a major threat to achieving the sustainable development goals, and tackling it is a strategic priority for the Government and for my Department. The Government are delivering £5.8 billion in international climate finance to help developing countries to reduce emissions and to manage the impact of climate change.

--- Later in debate ---

[Harriett Baldwin]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight the importance of commitments that were made last year at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. There is an extensive programme of work to follow through on those commitments, not least the £5.8 billion of international climate finance that we have announced so far, which has already helped 47 million people to increase their resilience to climate change. We will be leading that strand at the United Nations summit in September.

[Jeff Smith]

The Minister said that there is no net investment from DFID and the CDC. I would be interested to know what she means by that, because we surely need a greater priority on disinvestment in oil and gas extraction. Is she not worried, as I am, about the possibility of stranded assets as a result of investments we have made in the global south?

[Harriett Baldwin]

We have an important role to play in working with our international bilateral partners to encourage the use of clean growth and clean energy. For example, the week before last, we held an event here in support of sustainable development goal 7 to which we invited African Energy Ministers from developing countries to meet some of the people we have in the UK with expertise on renewable energy.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeff Smith and Harriett Baldwin

Tuesday 30th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Africa (Harriett Baldwin)]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his tireless championing of this agenda. I can confirm that the UK will be supporting it. I can also confirm that we are on course with the blue belt programme to deliver over 4 million sq km of maritime protection around the UK’s overseas territories by 2020.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

T2. I am sure that most of us will have viewed the outcome of the Brazilian presidential election with some alarm in terms of the implications for human rights and the rule of law. How are the Government going to approach their future relationship with the Bolsonaro Administration?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeff Smith and Harriett Baldwin

Tuesday 4th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Harriett Baldwin]

Yes.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

There are reports this afternoon that Russian war planes have resumed bombing in Idlib province. What can we do to help Staffan de Mistura’s plan to create a humanitarian corridor to prevent more civilian tragedy in Syria?