The UK has committed to the World Bank’s ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ Initiative, which relates to flaring from oil production, and to go further by ending routine flaring and venting from both oil and gas, by 2030.

In 2024, the North Sea Transition Authority set out new requirements on the industry in the ‘OGA Plan’, to reduce upstream production emissions, including from flaring and venting.

With support from Government and regulators, the industry is on track to meet these ambitious targets.

The UK has adopted early and ambitious measures to tackle methane emissions. Between 1990 and 2020, UK methane emissions dropped by 62%, more than any other OECD country.

The Government recognises the urgency to do more, including to meet the Global Methane Pledge as a global target, and is pursuing efforts to secure further emission reductions in line with the Net Zero Strategy, Net Zero Growth Plan, and Carbon budgets. The Government does not have plans to produce a separate methane focused plan.

The consultation on improving the energy performance of privately rented homes closed on 8th January 2021. The Government is continuing to refine the policy design to ensure the costs and circumstances relating to energy efficiency improvements are fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. The Government will publish a summary of responses by the end of this year.

Our “Powering up Britain” plan seizes opportunities from our transition to a decarbonised energy system. Our policies, backed by billions of pounds of Government funding, will leverage around £100 billion of private investment and support up to 480,000 jobs in 2030. My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the importance of unlocking that private investment if we are to deliver our net zero ambitions.

The information requested is not available.

The following tables show the total allocations (£millions) made to both local authorities in each of the requested financial years by the Department for Education (DfE) and its agencies. These figures are not comparable for the reasons given as follows:

However, it should be noted that the figures are not comparable between years because:

Funding to local authorities (LAs) diminishes with the opening of academies, free schools and university technology colleges (UTCs) as they are funded directly by the Education Funding Agency. Since 2010, nine academies, two free schools and one UTC have opened in Reading and eight academies have opened in West Berkshire. Regarding the details of funding for schools in Reading and West Berkshire I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 14 January 2014, Official Report, 500W.

In 2012-13 a number of Agencies moved into the DfE whilst others closed. This changed the way that funding was provided to LAs.

During this time there were also some transfers of funding between DfE and other Government Departments. These were mainly small amounts but the most significant were the Education Services Grant (national total of £1.03 billion) which transferred from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to the DfE in 2013-14 and the Early Intervention Grant (national total of £2.3 billion) which transferred from the DfE to DCLG in 2013-14.

The DfE has also provided some funding to other Government Departments to contribute to programmes that were jointly funded and managed, such as the Child Poverty programme that was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Department already makes this information available. All payments from May 2010 to present in excess of £250 are published on my Department's transparency website which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-spending-over-250

Payments to Reading borough council and West Berkshire council are all detailed here.

The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis 2013.

Identifiable expenditure on transport in the south-east region for the last three years is reproduced in the following table. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.

The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis 2013.

Identifiable expenditure on transport in the south-east region for the last three years is reproduced in the following table. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.

The figures in the following table show payments by core DEFRA to each council.

The figures in the following table show payments by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to each council.

DEFRA's other four Executive Agencies did not make payments to the two Councils. This does not coyer any payments to the Councils by DEFRA’s non departmental public bodies or other arm’s length bodies.

The Department for Education and its associated agencies pay funds directly to academies and free schools. The funds allocated to these types of schools in both west Berkshire and Reading over the period in question are summarised in the following table.

Figures include all revenue grants; devolved formula capital and maintenance capital grants and pupil premium. The 2013-14 figures include payments up to and including December 2013.

The Department already publishes details of all payments and funding irrespective of value as part of the Department's commitment to transparency.

Details can be found on the BIS website or on data.gov.uk using the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data

or

http://data.gov.uk/data/openspending-browse

For ease, I can say that no payments or funding has been made directly to West Berkshire council by the Department and only one payment of £1,214 was made to Reading borough council in the 2012/13 financial year in respect of a consultation roadshow for the 2014-20 EU funding programme. No other payment or funding has been made.

The Department's agencies will respond separately.

Letter from Tim Moss, dated 8 January 2014:

I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 7 January 2014, UIN 182166 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Companies House has never allocated any funds to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Letter from John Alty, dated 9 January 2014:

I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 07th January 2014, to the Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The IPO has not allocated any funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council in any of 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 or 2013-14 to date.

Letter from John Hirst, dated 9 January 2014:

I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Questions tabled on 7 January 2014, UIN 182166 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Met Office has allocated no funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council during the period in question.

Letter from Barbara Spicer, dated 9 January 2014:

The Skills Funding Agency (and the Learning and Skills Council prior to April 2010) has responsibility for funding post-19 further education and skills training.

Funding allocations for the 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 funding years to Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council are provided in the following tables. The funding allocations to Reading Borough Council are set out in table 1 and funding allocations to West Berkshire Council are set out in table 2.

The values provided are actual funding received to date from Skills Funding Agency. Adult Skills funding includes: Adult Skills Budget, Additional Learning Support, Discretionary Learning Support and Community Learning. Funding received for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans facility is the responsibility of the Skills Funding Agency and is paid by the Student Loans Company.

Letter from Richard Judge, dated 9 January 2014:

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

The Insolvency Service is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Insolvency Service has not allocated any funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council in any of 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 or 2013-14 to date.

Letter from Ed Lester, dated 9 January 2014:

I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 182166 tabled on 7 January 2014 which asked the following:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

I can confirm that Land Registry have not paid any funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council during the periods listed above.

I hope that you find this information useful.

Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 9 January 2014:

As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, “if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date”.

The answer is that Ordnance Survey makes no financial contributions to these councils.

If you have any further questions, please let me know.

I hope this information is helpful.

Letter from David Parker, dated January 2014:

Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to ask if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

The UK Space Agency was established on 1 April 2011 and is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It has not provided any funding to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in 2011-12, 2012-13 or 2013-14 to date.

Letter from Sarah Glasspool, dated 13 January 2014:

I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 7 January 2014, asking the BIS Secretary of State for details of funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to a) Reading Borough Council and b) West Berkshire Council in i) 2010-11, ii) 2011-12, iii) 2012-13 and iv) 2013-14 to date.

No funds have been allocated by NMO to these councils during the time periods in question.

The Department will have spent £277 million directly on cycling in the five years 2010-11 to 2014-15. In addition £540 million has been spent through the local sustainable transport fund (LSTF), where 94 out of 96 projects have a cycling element; a further £178 million has been announced for the LSTF for 2015-16. Between 2005 and 2010 the Department spent £140 million on cycling projects and £10 million on Sustainable Travel Towns, where projects included cycling.

I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.

The long term annual efficiency savings arising from the reforms set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are expected to be £1.5 billion in 2015-16 and beyond, as set out in the impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 and confirmed by the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), in his written statement of 18 July 2013, Official Report, column 125-126WS. These savings in administrative costs will be available for re-investment in front line health services.