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Written Question
Fossil Fuels
Monday 19th December 2016

Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of known fossil fuels which need to be left in the ground to prevent global temperature change above two degrees centigrade.

Answered by Nick Hurd

In 2013 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that to have a 50 percent chance of limiting global average temperature rise to below 2°C, the remaining permissible carbon emissions were up to 305 billion tonnes of Carbon for the period 2011 to 2100. According to the latest estimate of cumulative emission by the Global Carbon Project in 2016, this figure has reduced to 255 billion tonnes of Carbon.

In 2011 the IPCC estimated the amount of carbon within existing proven reserves of coal, oil and gas to be 1,053 billion tonnes.

Based on these figures, between 70-75 percent of known fossil fuels would have to be left unused in order to have a 50% chance of limiting global temperature rise to below 2°C.

Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 12 Dec 2016
Retail Store Closure: Boxing Day

"I am interested in the hon. Gentleman’s answer to the question asked by the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone). Am I right in thinking the Scottish Government do not favour stopping large stores from opening on Boxing day?..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 12 Dec 2016
Retail Store Closure: Boxing Day

"You’re not cousins, are you?..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Nov 2016
Exiting the EU: Higher Education

"I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. Does she agree that universities and their research and spin-offs have a crucial role post-Brexit, but that to make the most of it they need to be assured that lost EU funding will be totally reinstated, that collaborative research with …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Nov 2016
Exiting the EU: Higher Education

"Has the hon. Gentleman had cause to reflect on why Wales voted so strongly to leave the European Union?..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Nov 2016
Exiting the EU: Higher Education

"Is the Minister in a position to confirm reports that the Home Secretary is reviewing and revising her previously proposed limits on universities’ visa powers in relation to students who want to stay to work?..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 02 Nov 2016
Small Shops Regulation

"I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this important debate. I agree with the thrust of his argument and with his specific point on illicit tobacco sales. Is he aware that his debate is well timed because it coincides with the excellent “Freedom from Fear” campaign by the Union of …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 02 Nov 2016
Small Shops Regulation

"Will the Minister respond to the very sensible proposal made by the hon. Member for South Thanet (Craig Mackinlay) about software that will help small shops to cope with auto-enrolment?..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

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Written Question
Nurses: Migrant Workers
Monday 18th April 2016

Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans for the proposed £1,000 immigration skills charge to apply to NHS nurses.

Answered by Nick Boles

The Immigration Skills Charge will be paid by UK employers recruiting skilled migrant labour from outside the European Economic Area. This includes employers of nurses. The charge will apply from April 2017. There will be a flat rate of £1,000 per Tier 2 migrant sponsored per year. Some public sector employers could benefit from the small and charitable sponsors reduced rate of £364 per Tier 2 migrant sponsored per year.

As the independent Migration Advisory Committee stated in their January 2016 report on Tier 2, public sector organisations are employers like any other and should be incentivised to consider the UK labour market first, before recruiting outside Europe.