Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Brown Excerpts

Tuesday 14th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Deidre Brock (Edinburgh North and Leith) (SNP)]

1. What steps he is taking to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

4. What steps he is taking to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

[Dr Paul Monaghan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (SNP)]

14. What steps he is taking to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Hurd]

Few countries, certainly in Europe, have done more than we have to expand renewable energy electricity capacity since 2010, and the low-carbon economy sector now employs over 220,000 people. The hon. Lady questions our continued commitment to renewable energy; I refer her to the public commitment to forthcoming auctions to support the less mature renewable technologies.

[Alan Brown]

A recent Chatham House report as well as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s own following study on North American woody biomass both concluded that the use of these pellets for energy production in the UK is high-carbon. Given that and that a review was promised of bio-energy policies in 2012, will the Government conduct an urgent review and impose a moratorium on new subsidies for biomass?

[Mr Hurd]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, we have reviewed and adjusted subsidies in relation to biomass, and we keep that under regular review.