Climate Change Committee: 2021 Annual Progress Report - 21st September 2021

Here are the climate-related sections of speeches by MPs during the Commons debate Climate Change Committee: 2021 Annual Progress Report.

Full text: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-09-21/debates/735316FF-E3C1-4416-BB01-C3D2B45A7141/ClimateChangeCommittee2021AnnualProgressReport

Jeff Smith (Labour)

9. What steps he is taking in response to the Climate Change Committee’s 2021 annual progress report to Parliament.

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12:08 The Minister of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Greg Hands)

The Government are carefully considering the Climate Change Committee’s progress report and will respond to it in full as part of our forthcoming net zero strategy ahead of COP26. That strategy, which will outline our path to meet net zero by 2050, will contain policies and proposals that will allow the Government to respond substantively to the report’s recommendations.

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12:08 Jeff Smith (Labour)

Well, it needs to, because the report was pretty damning. The Environmental Audit Committee recently made a number of recommendations to support community energy projects such as Greater Manchester Community Renewables in my constituency. Will the Minister emphasise the importance of community energy in the upcoming net zero strategy, as recommended specifically by the Committee, and put in place some practical measures to harness the potential of community energy, including support to enable groups to get investment for energy transition projects?

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12:08 Greg Hands

“The UK has been a strong contributor to international climate finance”.

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12:09 Dr Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab)

The Climate Change Committee’s report to Parliament highlights how little progress has been made with the upgrading of insulation in buildings and points out that

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Greg Hands

The hon. Gentleman has managed to pack a lot into that question. Let me try to answer it in three ways. First, when it comes to the heat and buildings strategy, he will just have to wait until we publish it. We are doing the right thing. Secondly, when it comes to energy price rises, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State pointed out at great length the action we are taking to protect customers, including vulnerable customers, with the rest of the support that the Government provide. Thirdly, when it comes to the Climate Change Committee, we have done very well on achieving, for example, last year’s recommendations. Actually we have achieved in full or in part 40 of the Committee’s 92 recommendations last year; 32 are already on their way. We are looking forward to responding as well to this year’s recommendations.

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Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)

The Kettering constituency generates enough wind power to power all local homes, but if we are to meet our net zero target by 2050, we need to develop more offshore wind power. Can the Energy Minister confirm that we are on track to increase the capacity of offshore wind from 30 GW to 40 GW by 2030?

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