Results 1-20 of 902 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:Baroness Verma

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, the Government are committed to taking decisive action on climate change. Our electricity market reform is the biggest change to the UK electricity market since privatisation and is needed to ensure that we have a diverse range of energy supplies and achieve our emissions reduction targets. At EU level, the Government support current proposals to strengthen the EU emissions trading...

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, I join the noble Baroness in her great disappointment that this occurred. However, we are a democracy and are allowed to think for ourselves.

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: I might just sit down at this point. However, we also recognise that we need to make progress and we will support and engage very strongly with the EU to try to ensure that we get measures to reform the EU ETS. We are calling for a clear timetable for legislative proposals on structural reform to be put forward.

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: I know that my noble friend has some views on this but I cannot agree with many of them. The market for low-carbon goods and services is a growing one for the UK, so I do not buy into the argument that this is costing British business. We are increasingly able to offer renewable energies as part of a good mix of our energy supply, so that we become less dependent on international global price...

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, the noble Lord of course knows that renewables will play a vital role in both the UK and the EU's low-carbon energy mix. We will continue to ensure that that is the case after 2020. Our own electricity market reform proposals will provide strong support for renewable electricity generation, and at EU level we need to consider, within the proposed broader 2030 climate and energy...

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, I could not have put it more eloquently.

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, we know that there is science out there that tells us climate change is taking place and we really need to take that science very seriously.

Climate Change — Question (25 April 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, the Government are doing a lot towards ensuring that we achieve our renewables targets. Through the processes that we have engaged in, we are making a lot of progress.

Energy: Electricity Generation — Question (26 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, I begin by wishing my noble friend a very happy 94th birthday, which I know he celebrated a couple of days ago. The Government are taking decisive steps to secure our supplies. We are reforming the electricity market to drive the investment we need to ensure that we have a diverse range of energy supplies, and through the Green Deal and ECO, we are looking to reduce our usage of...

Energy: Electricity Generation — Question (26 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, the Government are taking action to ensure that the UK economy continues to enjoy high levels of electricity supply security in the short, medium and long term. Our proposals for electricity market reform will drive investment, ensuring that we have a diverse mix of energy sources. Those proposals also include legislating for a capacity market to ensure that we have sufficiently...

Energy: Electricity Generation — Question (26 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, new nuclear is one of the country’s options. As I have said many times at the Dispatch Box, it is part of an energy mix. However, like all things, it goes through the proper procedures, as the noble Lord would expect. We have a lot of interest in investment in the UK from outside; I just mentioned Hitachi’s purchase of Horizon. The noble Lord needs to be reassured that...

Energy: Electricity Generation — Question (26 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, my noble friend raises a number of important and key points. Of course we are looking at ensuring that we do not have a dip in our secure energy supply. We are also making sure that our new energies will take over when the old gas and coal-powered stations come off stream. We cannot meet our carbon emission reduction targets if we have unabated coal continuing to come out of our...

Energy: Electricity Generation — Question (26 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: The noble Baroness is absolutely right. We need to ensure that we reduce our usage of electricity and of other energies. We have had a consultation. We are now looking at the responses to it. I hope to come back to the Dispatch Box with our response later in the year.

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, my department has regular discussions with energy providers about a range of market issues. We are determined to help consumers to get their energy bills down through a range of measures to reduce energy inefficiency and increase energy security. We know that increasing global demand is driving up energy prices and that this will continue. That is why, through the Green Deal, we are...

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, energy prices have been going up over quite a period of time. In fact, the period 2004 to 2010 saw a doubling of gas prices, which was under the previous Administration. We know that global prices are going up and that demand has grown because of emerging economies. That is why this Government are determined that we should have a diverse mixture of energy that we can control in our...

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My noble friend is absolutely right, but America is a very different place from the United Kingdom. Through our diverse mix of energy sourcing and our usage of traditional energy supplies, we are determined to give our consumers the best possible deal that they can get. However, to reflect on the point I made earlier, global prices are going up because emerging economies have a greater demand...

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, it is an interesting option, which I think I will take back to the department. Through the Energy Bill and through the ECO the Government are reaching out to the most vulnerable families and tackling as early as possible the issue of those who need support. We are doing that and helping 2 million households at the current time.

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, the noble Lord will be pleased to know that today the oil and gas industry report sets out some very positive figures, showing that investment is increasing in the UK and that we are able to provide security and supply of energy in our own country. Of course, we are going through a difficult time, but that should come as no surprise to the party opposite because they were the...

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My noble friend raises a very important point. Though the Green Deal and through collective purchasing we are trying to help those areas where it would be far more beneficial to be able to buy collectively. Economies of scale and greater purchasing power will give them a better choice of where they can buy and what they can buy.

Energy: Prices — Question (25 February 2013)

Baroness Verma: My Lords, I did not read the article. I am afraid that I was curled up in bed with the flu. However, I will take the noble Lord's word for it that it was an interesting article. As I have said persistently and consistently at the Dispatch Box, we need a good energy mix, and wind will be part of that mix.