Rowen, Rennie, Horwood, Farron and Hughes quiz Miliband on Energy and Climate Change

5.25.18pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 25th Jul 2009

• [Jul 09] Paul Rowen (Rochdale, Liberal Democrat): There are 7,000 zero-carbon dwellings across Europe that meet the passive house standard, yet only one of them is in the UK. Does not that show that the Government's policy on carbon reduction is just empty rhetoric? (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1126)

Edward Miliband (Secretary of State, Department for Energy and Climate Change; Doncaster North, Labour): No, because we have rightly said that we are going to have zero-carbon homes here from 2016. It is right to set that standard-we are one of the few countries to have done so-and it will apply to every new house. We are also taking action to trial the new technologies to which the hon. Gentleman refers, and we will have more to say about that in the coming months.

• . . Willie Rennie (Dunfermline & Fife West, Liberal Democrat): Considering that the carbon capture competition has already slipped by one year, what guarantees can the Secretary of State give that there will be no further delays in the process, especially considering that only one bidder is capable of getting to the 2020 deadline? Will he guarantee that the deadline will be met by next year-before the general election? (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1127)

Edward Miliband: The hon. Gentleman is not right to say that only one bidder is capable of meeting the 2020 deadline. Three consortiums are involved-ENR, RWE and Scottish Power, I believe-and all can meet the timetable. It is right that we need to get on with it, which is why we announced the new conditions and why we announced the levy mechanism for which we intend to legislate. I am confident that speedy progress can be made.

• . . Martin Horwood (Cheltenham, Liberal Democrat): The Secretary of State rightly congratulated the G8 on its 2° target as a limit on global warming, although to do otherwise would be to invite inevitable catastrophe, but will he tell us what that translates into in terms of the more important measure of the atmospheric concentration of CO2 in parts per million-or was that question too tricky for the leaders of the world? (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1128)

Edward Miliband: It translates into the target aim of 450 parts per million. I was talking about this to John Holdren, the chief scientist of the US, yesterday. Now that we have this 2° target, the key task for developed and developing countries from here on up to Copenhagen is to say what the pathway is-including the mid-term targets we need for 2020-towards meeting that challenge. Now that the leaders have agreed to the objective, at least at the G8, we now need a 2° deal out of Copenhagen

• . . Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat): If he will take steps to ensure that energy from renewable sources is given priority access to the national grid.

Edward Miliband: All generators should be given a grid connection consistent with their development plans. We do not believe that the progress on that has been speedy enough, and we are determined to do more to make that happen, building on the recent agreement between Ofgem and the National Grid for an extra 450 MW of grid capacity, which will speed up connection for a range of projects by up to seven years. (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1121)

• Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat): I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. There are 2,500 anaerobic digesters connected to the German national grid and only 35 in this country- 36 if we count Ambridge. I can assure him that farmers in south Cumbria are very keen to help the Government to make up that embarrassing deficit, and want to create Westmorland's first anaerobic digester. Will he agree to meet me and farmers in my constituency to help us to gain priority access to the national grid and to ensure that we transform organic waste, farm waste and off-farm waste into clean energy? (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1121)

Edward Miliband: I am sorry to correct the hon. Gentleman on one point. I believe the Ambridge project did not go ahead. I may be wrong, but I believe it did not get planning permission, no doubt from a Liberal council. On the hon. Gentleman's serious question, this is a priority, and it is important that Ofgem sees it as very much part of its duty to drive this forward. It has a duty to future consumers in its remit. (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1122)

• Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat): A meeting? (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1122)

Edward Miliband: I will come to the hon. Gentleman's question about meeting him. Part of that duty to future consumers has to be to drive forward connection to the grid. I am sure that one of our ministerial team will meet the hon. Gentleman and his friends.

• . . Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey, Liberal Democrat): Given the Government's regular warm words of commitment to the renewable sector in general, not least yesterday, and given that there is 25 % growth a year in wind energy worldwide-we are clearly the best European country for wind energy-why is there no industrial or manufacturing strategy to ensure that we produce the jobs to support the industry's development and give us the green road out of recession that the Prime Minister and Ministers regularly say we need? (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1122)

Edward Miliband: There absolutely is an industrial strategy on that; my right hon. Friend the Chancellor allocated £405 million in the Budget for precisely that purpose. As for wind generation, last year we saw a 29 % increase in the UK in onshore wind generation and a 67 % increase in offshore wind generation, making us the world leader in the latter. Of course there is more to do, and we are determined to do it. (HC Deb, 9 July 2009, c1122)