Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts

Thursday 6th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)]

9. What recent progress has been made on the EU 2030 framework for energy and climate policies; and if he will make a statement.

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

15. What recent progress has been made on the EU 2030 framework for energy and climate policies; and if he will make a statement.

[Mr William Bain (Glasgow North East) (Lab)]

17. What recent progress has been made on the EU 2030 framework for energy and climate policies; and if he will make a statement.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for asking me about CCS. This Government are actually leading Europe on CCS; we have the only two commercial-scale CCS projects, one of which was the only such project to get funding from Europe. It was because of the UK Government’s actions that the conclusions of the recent energy and climate change deal included CCS. Like the hon. Lady, we are a strong supporter of CCS.

[Kerry McCarthy]

Given the non-binding EU targets on renewables and energy efficiency, does the Secretary of State agree that the Government now need to demonstrate how we can use that flexibility to increase the UK’s low-carbon programme, especially as it is being undermined by other Departments—for example, by stripping farmers of their common agricultural policy subsidies for solar farms and by rejecting applications for onshore wind farms? What will he do to encourage the Government to support renewables?

[Mr Davey]

No Government in history have done more for renewables than this one. We have seen renewable electricity generation more than double; we have a much better record on this than the last Government. We have also seen renewable electricity investment more than double, with a huge pipeline of investment in renewables, including onshore, offshore, solar and tidal power.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

It is a little more complicated than sometimes the headlines show, because there is an effort-sharing decision that is being worked on. Some countries will take more of an effort share in reducing their carbon emissions than the 40% average and others that will take less, but I am happy to talk to my hon. Friend about that.

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

Last night, as we have heard, the planning committee in Bristol rejected an application for a controversial biomass plant. Is the Minister confident that Ofgem has sufficient powers to enforce planning conditions against wood-burning biomass plants that claim to use only waste wood but actually use virgin wood, for example by revoking their renewables obligation certificates?

[Mr Davey]

Obviously I cannot comment on the individual planning decision, but I can comment on the general issue. This Government have introduced very tough sustainability criteria applying to biomass and they are a legal requirement.