Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am not the least bit offended by the hon. Gentleman’s language, but if he is allowed to describe green policies in that fashion, I want to clarify whether I will be allowed to do the same...."David T C Davies - View Speech
View all David T C Davies (Con - Monmouth) contributions to the debate on: Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"Up until that point, the hon. Gentleman was quite right and I was nodding. I have never ever denied that the climate changes. In fact, on every single occasion that I have spoken on this subject, I have made the point straightaway that of course the climate changes, but that …..."David T C Davies - View Speech
View all David T C Davies (Con - Monmouth) contributions to the debate on: Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"I begin by welcoming the new Ministers and indeed the new Department. I am very pleased at the fact that industrial strategy is going to be a huge part of what is going on. I think it is impossible to separate industrial strategy from climate change and energy.
With the …..."David T C Davies - View Speech
View all David T C Davies (Con - Monmouth) contributions to the debate on: Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"The hon. Gentleman shakes his head, but that is a fact. There was a cooling from the 1940s onwards. That is why, when I was growing up in the 1970s, people were worried that the next ice age was coming.
From the mid-1970s until about 1998 there was a significant …..."David T C Davies - View Speech
View all David T C Davies (Con - Monmouth) contributions to the debate on: Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"I do not of course dismiss the possibility that the experts may be right. I have never said they are wrong; I have merely suggested that they ought to be able to answer some fairly basic questions if they expect us as policymakers to go ahead with policies that are …..."David T C Davies - View Speech
View all David T C Davies (Con - Monmouth) contributions to the debate on: Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"My hon. Friend is making the assumption that carbon dioxide is some sort of pollutant. It is not. Sulphur dioxide is a pollutant, and we have done wonderful things in getting rid of that. Carbon dioxide is actually the elixir of life, and a small increase in carbon dioxide has …..."David T C Davies - View Speech
View all David T C Davies (Con - Monmouth) contributions to the debate on: Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 07 Sep 2016
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
"The hon. Gentleman will no doubt take the opportunity to discuss that with his close colleagues in the Welsh national party, Plaid Cymru, who are incredibly enthusiastic about the prospect of a nuclear power station in a constituency that it represents in the Welsh Assembly. No doubt that will be …..."David T C Davies - View Speech
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Written Question
Tuesday 3rd May 2016
Asked by:
David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)
Question
to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to keep coal plants open.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Decisions on plant closures are commercial matters for the plant owners. However, we recently consulted on changes to the Capacity Market, which included proposals for an early Capacity Market auction for the 2017/18 delivery year to mitigate the security of supply impact of potential early plant closures. If we go ahead with this proposal, coal plants will be eligible to participate.
On 18 November we announced plans to close all unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025. Achieving this goal would make the UK one of the first developed countries to deliver on a commitment to take coal off the system. However, we have been clear that we would only proceed with these plans if we are confident that the shift to new gas generation can be achieved within these timescales.
Written Question
Friday 29th April 2016
Asked by:
David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)
Question
to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps the Government is taking to support international electricity connectors.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government is committed to increasing electricity interconnection with projects that support our energy objectives.
A number of interconnection projects are already progressing under Ofgem’s regulatory regime1, designed to bring forward interconnection investment in the interest of GB consumers. This includes projects to France, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Ireland, which have been assessed by Ofgem as offering over £11.8bn in consumer benefits. A second window for applications for the cap and floor project is open until 31 October and the Government is keen to see more projects coming forward that can deliver strong consumer benefits.
The Government has also supported a number of mature interconnector projects to benefit from access to European grant funding as Projects of Common Interest.
Together these projects represent billions of pounds of infrastructure investment and aim to more than double our interconnection capacity by the early 2020s. This will make Britain more energy secure and will help lower consumer bills.
[1] Source, Ofgem https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/decision-roll-out-cap-and-floor-regime-near-term-electricity-interconnectors
Written Question
Thursday 28th April 2016
Asked by:
David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)
Question
to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that the closure of coal-powered stations does not lead to electricity shortages.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
We knew some old coal powered stations would likely be closing and we have already taken steps to ensure security of supply for the coming winters. National Grid has procured 3.6GW of reserve capacity for this coming winter. Looking further ahead, the Capacity Market is designed to drive new investment to help keep the lights on, as well as getting the best out of our existing power stations and we have recently consulted on proposals to introduce the Capacity Market a year early, from 2017/18. A response to the consultation will be published shortly