Written Ministerial Statements
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Energy and Climate Change
Household Energy Management
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Edward Miliband): Together with my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Minister for Housing, I am publishing today "Warm Homes, Greener Homes: A strategy for Household Energy Management", which sets out the strategy for improving energy efficiency in people's homes through to 2020. Copies of the document will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Improving domestic energy efficiency helps people to make their homes more comfortable, to save money on their energy bills and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This strategy sets out a comprehensive approach to helping people do that across all tenure types.
The strategy will deliver greenhouse gas emissions savings of at least 4 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2020, ensuring the UK hits its target of cutting emissions from households by 29 per cent. by 2020.
The strategy sets out our commitment to support people to install cavity wall and loft insulation in every home where practical to do so by 2015, while increasing the volumes of more significant insulation measures. We will help people to install eco-upgrades to their homes-which go beyond basic measures to include solid wall insulation and/or micro-renewable energy generation-in up to 7 million homes by 2020, on the way to ensuring that all homes have benefited from energy efficiency measures by 2030. There will be particular support for vulnerable groups.
To deliver against these objectives, the strategy sets out a new policy framework. This reflects the fact that the existing obligation for suppliers to support energy efficiency measures is due to expire at the end of 2012, and also the new challenges that need to be overcome to meet our stretching ambitions.
The strategy has four elements:
An enhanced role for local authorities, including a requirement on energy companies to partner with councils to deliver local area-based programmes and further support for district heating;
New financing mechanisms, including an obligation on energy companies to support people to improve their energy efficiency and plans for legislation to enable households to install measures without upfront costs, with repayments made out of the savings in energy bills;
Universal standards for the rented sector, including a new warm homes standard for social housing to complement decent homes and plans for regulation of the private rented sector;
Support for consumers in understanding their options, including a universal advice service, new standards for installation, and plans to make better use of the energy performance certificate.
We estimate that the implementation of this strategy will help support around 65,000 jobs in 2020 in the installation and manufacture of insulation and micro-generation, with further jobs created in the wider supply chain.
The proposals in this strategy signal a step change in the level of ambition for the household sector over the next decade that will put the country on track to meet our carbon targets while at the same time saving families money on their fuel bills, creating jobs and helping to secure our energy supplies.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
EU General and Foreign Affairs Councils
The Minister for Europe (Chris Bryant): The General Affairs Council (GAC) and Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) were held on 22 February in Brussels. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary represented the UK.
The agenda items covered were as follows:
The full text of all conclusions adopted, including 'A' points, can be found at:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/112999.pdf
High Representative Ashton gave a positive assessment of the EU's contribution and announced that she would travel to Haiti soon, together with Humanitarian Commissioner Georgieva. The Commission said it would release €5 million (£4.39 million) in budget support within the next few days, rising to €50 million (£43.9 million) in the remainder of 2010; and was committing a further €90 million (£79.1 million) in humanitarian assistance, on top of the €30 million (£26.4 million) already committed, probably primarily for areas outside Port-au-Prince.
The High Representative proposed that the March FAC agree conclusions giving her the mandate to represent the EU at the donors' conference in New York in late March; and that the EU should offer a significant long-run reconstruction package at the conference. Ideas for increasing EU visibility would also be discussed. The Government broadly welcome this approach.
At the High Representative's request, the Foreign Secretary introduced the discussion. He highlighted that the EU needed to pursue the dual track policy and also increase the pressure in relation to human rights, whilst the E3 plus 3 pursued work on the new UNSCR. Ashton concluded that there was a high degree of consensus around several recommendations: including that the dual-track policy should be pursued "calmly and steadily"; and that the EU should be ready to support the UN track. The Government strongly endorse this approach.
This item was dropped from the FAC agenda.
The High Representative welcomed the conduct of the Ukrainian presidential elections. The Commission presented initial proposals for engagement with the new President that set out the reforms required and the EU support on offer. Following a discussion of these proposals, the High Representative noted the support from many member states to engage strongly with the new Ukrainian team, but also the need for progress with reforms on the Ukrainian side. The Government strongly support this approach.
The High Representative gave an update on the appointment of an EU special representative to Afghanistan. Once the process is completed, the successful candidate would be double-hatted as the head of the EU delegation in Kabul.
Poland raised the ongoing repression of Belarus' Polish minority. The Commission noted that it had already lobbied the Belarusian Foreign Minister. The High Representative said that the FAC would return to this issue.
Ministers agreed a statement on the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 20 January. It condemned the fact that those involved in the operation had used passports and credit cards which had been fraudulently acquired through the theft of EU citizens' identities. The Government strongly support the statement. The Foreign Secretary said that the EU needed to think hard about how it could promote peace and stability in the region, because the longer this was left unaddressed, the greater the risk of individual incidents such as this spilling over.
Malta, Italy and Spain briefed Ministers on the Libya/Swiss bilateral dispute, which had prompted Libya to refuse visas to citizens of all Schengen countries, including many EU member states. The High Representative concluded that Libya's actions had been disproportionate, and encouraged the Swiss to resolve the matter diplomatically.
Portugal briefed Ministers on the recent flooding and landslides in Madeira. The High Representative said that she was keen to offer Portugal such assistance as possible.
The Council discussed briefly the coup d'état in Niger on 18 February and called for the swift restoration of democracy and constitutional order.
The full text of all conclusions adopted can be found at:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/genaff/112998.pdf
Preparation of the European Council, 25-26 March
The European Council agenda will consist of the Europe 2020 strategy for jobs and growth and climate change. The Government welcome the presidency's choice of topics. The UK agreed that leaders needed continuously
to pay attention to economic policy-but in order to make sure that a strategic view and assessment of progress could be made, a dedicated annual economic summit was needed; otherwise, the risk was that strategic consideration of economic policy would be derailed by events. The presidency expressed the need for progress on Europe 2020 at the spring European Council, to show that the EU could deliver for its citizens.
The new Climate Action Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, set out her intentions for European climate policy in the wake of Copenhagen, placing particular emphasis upon the need for better co-ordinated outreach to the major international players. Many member states called for the maintenance of the EU's ambition on climate, for the speedy operationalisation of the Copenhagen accord, and for delivery of the promised fast-start funding, all of which are in line with the UK position.
Dinner with President van Rompuy
The discussion covered the 11 February informal European Council and preparations for the spring European Council. President van Rompuy expressed satisfaction with the 11 February summit, although the dominance of economic issues had left work unfinished on climate change and Haiti, which the GAC and European Council would need to follow up.
The Council adopted the following conclusions or decisions without discussion:
Council conclusions on Zimbabwe
Council conclusions on the Republic of Moldova: Restrictive measures against the leadership of the Moldavian region of Transnistria
Council decision extending restrictive measures against the leadership of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova
Relations with Morocco: Adoption of the EU position in view of the EU-Morocco summit
Relations with the Kyrgyz Republic: Establishment of the EU position for the 11th meeting of the EU-Kyrgyz Republic Co-operation Council
Health
Future of Nursing and Midwifery
The Secretary of State for Health (Andy Burnham): Today, on behalf of the Government, I welcome formally the report from the Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery in England.
The commission, chaired by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ann Keen), was established by the Prime Minister in March 2009 to take a visionary look at how to maximise the contribution of nurses and midwives to the health of the nation in the future.
It undertook an extensive engagement exercise, hearing the views of many thousands of nurses, midwives, patients, and members of the public across England and its report, "Front Line Care", sets out proposals to ensure that the nurses and midwives of the future are at the heart of designing and delivering 21st century health services.
I welcome the messages in the report that the fundamentals of patient care should always remain the core responsibility of nurses and midwives, but also that responsibility for care needs to go right through to the board.
I would like to place my thanks on record to the commission for the work that has led to this report.
My Department and I will consider the contents of the report in detail, and will formally respond in due course.
I am placing a copy of the report in the Library and copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office.
International Development
Bangladesh Development Forum
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Michael Foster): The Government of Bangladesh held a high level Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) meeting in Dhaka on 15-16 February 2010. It was the first such event since 2005, and it took place one year after the current Government took office. The objective of the forum was for the Government to share, and discuss with development partners, their long-term plan to reach middle income status by 2021 (Vision 2021); the content of their new national strategy for accelerated poverty reduction; and their proposed reforms and delivery priorities.
The forum was widely hailed as a success. Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, opened the event, her speech referring specifically to the need for healthy democracy, decentralisation, transparency and anti-corruption. She highlighted the climate change challenge, called for speedy action on Copenhagen "fast-start" finance and emphasised the importance of women's empowerment and gender equity. Her presence increased the profile of the event, attracting substantial national media attention.
Six business sessions covered: development strategies, governance and human development; power and energy; agriculture, food security and water resources; environment and climate change; transport and communications; and "Digital Bangladesh and ICT development". The Minister of Finance A.M.A. Muhith chaired all six business sessions, supported by Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister Moshior Rahman and a number of cabinet ministers and secretaries. The event was well attended by development partners, including 36 development agencies and donors, and more than 80 civil society and private sector representatives. Bangladesh was congratulated on its progress towards the millennium development goals, on its sustained economic growth, and on its climate change strategy.
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