Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Glindon Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Graeme Morrice (Livingston) (Lab)]

2. What recent assessment he has made of trends in levels of investment in low-carbon energy sources.

[Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)]

4. What recent assessment he has made of trends in levels of investment in low-carbon energy sources.

[Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)]

6. What recent assessment he has made of trends in levels of investment in low-carbon energy sources.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

The hon. Gentleman knows that my party and I are in favour of this target, which is why we legislated in the Energy Act 2013 to put one in and it will be in our manifesto. But he is wrong if he thinks this target is some sort of panacea for low-carbon energy investment. We were told by the Labour party that if we did not do this, we would not see the supply chain growing. But here is a statistic for him: the supply chain in the UK for low-carbon energy investment is booming. We have had the massive investment from Siemens and Associated British Ports in Hull, transforming that city, and we have seen what MHI Vestas has been doing in the Isle of Wight. Under this Government, low-carbon energy investment and the whole supply chain are booming.

[Mrs Glindon]

I am sure that the Minister will be pleased to know that Northumbrian Water has an advanced anaerobic digestion plant in my constituency that is not only producing green energy from the sewage treatment process but injecting it into the gas network. However, according to the Environmental Audit Committee, investment in clean energy is running at only half the rate needed if we are to meet our binding carbon emission commitments. Will the Minister explain why he is failing to generate the investment that we need?

[Mr Davey]

Let me give a statistic to the hon. Lady: the annual rate of renewable energy investment in this Parliament is more than double the rate that it was in the previous Parliament. From 2010 to 2014, low-carbon investment has amounted to more than £40 billion. That is a record of which we are very proud.