Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the target set in the Autumn Statement 2021 for private finance to support nature’s recovery, what proportion of the £1 billion relates to the marine environment.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to mobilising private finance into nature’s recovery in England against our target, both on land and at sea.
We have not set specific targets for the terrestrial and marine environment respectively.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of private investment in (a) terrestrial and (b) marine nature recovery in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in Mobilising Green Investment: 2023 Green Finance Strategy, we are committed to monitoring progress against our target to raise £1bn in private finance into nature’s recovery in England every year by 2030.
The government has not produced an official annual estimate of private finance into nature’s recovery, as no reliable measures are yet in place. My department is developing a methodology for tracking this private finance. We will publish our first annual estimate, using this methodology, once data is available.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation on Introducing a performance-based policy framework in large commercial and industrial buildings, which closed on 9 June 2021.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Government paused the rollout of the operational energy rating pilot scheme but remains interested in exploring the role that operational ratings can play in supporting energy reduction within the wider landscape for decarbonising commercial and industrial buildings.
We continue to engage with stakeholders to understand more about potential options for moving the dial on reducing carbon emissions and Government’s role in this.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to respond to the consultation entitled Non-domestic Private Rented Sector minimum energy efficiency standards: EPC B implementation, published on 17 March 2021.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We have reviewed the responses to our consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the non-domestic private rented sector. We are working hard to ensure the policy design remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants within the current economic climate and to help realise the benefits of energy efficiency, including reduced energy bills, more comfortable and healthier workplaces and greater energy security. We are continuing to engage with commercial building owners and representative groups to understand the different pathways to support decarbonisation and give certainty to the energy efficiency supply chain. We plan to publish the response in due course.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20th July 2023 to Question 194351 on Bus Services: Public Service Obligations, when his Department plans to issue new guidance on socially and economically necessary bus services.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department remains committed to publishing this guidance within this Parliament.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in the South West have been eligible for pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is used to identify genetic anomalies in embryos created through in-vitro fertilisation. Over 600 genetic conditions can currently be tested for using this technique, as licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. NHS England has commissioned five centres to provide PGT to patients in England. The number of PGT cycles undertaken has increased from 223 patients in 2009 to 620 in 2019, but NHS England does not have access to data that describes the geographical profile of the people that have used the National Health Service or privately commissioned PGT services.