Prime Minister's question asked in the House of Commons, by Simon Burns (Conservative). It was answered on Wednesday, 23 November 2005 on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Engagements

Question: Last night, the House debated the straightforward motion ““That this House endorses . . . a cross-party consensus on carbon reduction.”” Why did the Government vote against it?

Answer: Because until we work out the means of ensuring that there is carbon reduction, it is all very well for the Conservative party to join the Liberal Democrats and insist that the Government say that we must reduce carbon by a certain amount by a certain date—actually beyond the targets that we have already set—but they also need to be prepared to say how to do that. The one time we put forward a specific measure, namely, the climate change industrial levy, the Conservative party voted against it. When it has some serious propositions to make, we will listen, but while it continues to behave as if opposition were its natural state, we will not.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 439 c1514
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Air pollution Climate change Carbon dioxide Carbon Pollution control
Link: View this Prime Minister's question on www.publications.parliament.uk