Here are the climate-related sections of speeches by MPs during the Commons debate Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.
Simon Hughes (Bermondsey and Old Southwark) (LD)
Will the Secretary of State confirm that not only are the Government committed to the green investment bank, which is a very good thing and has long been called for, but that there is a wider strategy in his Department, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Communities and Local Government to make sure that we develop the green economy, producing a significant number of extra manufacturing jobs and apprenticeships and growth, and that that is a very significant part of the Government’s policy as a whole? It is not just about a bank and £3 billion being lent over a certain number of years.
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21:00 Mark Durkan (Foyle) (SDLP)
My more particular concern is to ensure that when the Bill is processed through the House, the provisions relating to the green investment bank are tested to ensure that the references to the green economy in the UK are not inordinately exclusive in regard to Northern Ireland. Many of the projects there that might seek support from the green investment bank could have a cross-border, cross-jurisdictional character. In offshore wind projects, for example, the geography and topography of natural resources and renewable energy point to it being sensible for those projects to cross borders. The present renewables obligation certificates regime discriminates against and excludes cross-border projects, and we need to ensure that that mistake is not repeated with the green investment bank if we are to maximise its opportunities.
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21:42 Mr Wright
The Government had a great opportunity in this Bill to deal with the consequences of their failed economic policies. The Bill was a chance to put in place legislative measures to enhance this country’s economic competitive position, and to set in train policy certainty for investors, which would allow them to invest for the long term. The Bill could have helped our companies to improve their productivity and decarbonise the economy, while allowing British firms to benefit from the green industrial revolution, which is happening now—not in 2016. It could have made a firm statement in law that failures and poor performance at the top of business would not be tolerated or rewarded with excessive pay, and it could have safeguarded consumers from powerful vested interests. The Bill has made some progress on that, but not nearly enough. It is a missed opportunity. It is a rag-bag that exposes the Government’s lack of a compelling vision and fails to help British business to compete in the global economy of today and tomorrow. On that basis, I commend the reasoned amendment to the House.
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