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Proceeding contribution from Joan Ruddock (Labour) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 21 October 2009. It occurred during Opposition day on Climate Change (Political Response).


Climate Change (Political Response)

I am happy to answer the hon. Gentleman’s specific question. I shall deal with the general issues that he raised later in my speech. The rating of our Department—we inherited the listed building—is the lowest possible, but we are taking considerable measures to change that. I assure the hon. Gentleman that our expectation is that the next time we are given an energy efficiency rating, it will not be G. Let me tell the House about the finance initiative, which is an essential part of the Copenhagen discussions. As I have said, it has paid dividends. Climate finance is now being properly discussed in the new negotiations forums such as the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate—for instance, in London earlier this week—and the G8 and the G20, and they are using the broad framework that the Prime Minister set out in his speech. We are continuing to push for ambition within the European Union so that we can take a strong position at Copenhagen. We have taken a leading role in the way in which we identify sources of finance needed to support a deal and the institutional architecture needed to deliver it, thinking creatively about how we can best facilitate the rapid deployment and development of low-carbon technology, and leading work to agree on a new international framework to tackle deforestation. We are also continuing to push our objectives with other Governments, with the Secretary of State visiting China, Russia, India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States in pursuit of a deal.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
497 c983-4 
Session
2008-09
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Conservation Climate change Environment protection Energy Government departments Planning permission Public bodies Public expenditure Standards Renewable energy Carbon emissions
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk